Protected
by girlsaremyfave
Summary: Piper Chapman is a well known politician and investor but when something goes seriously wrong she seeks personal protection at all times. Alex Vause is a military veteran looking for a new job to satisfy her after leaving the service.
1. The Beginning

**So this is kind of based on the idea from that the show Bodyguard on Netflix of the bodyguard and person they are protecting falling in love. But I am changing things for sure and I can just see Alex wanting to take care of Piper you know? Anyway if this doesn't seem good I can always take it down, let me know.**

**Chapter 1:**

Everything was pitch black in a way that hit me to my core, the kind that nightmares are made of. I felt cold metal pressed against my wrists and sweat dripping down the curve of my back, making me realize just how hot it is wherever I am.

"Tell me the numbers." I feel a hot breath speak against my neck, turning my head to see who it was, I remember that my eyes are covered.

"What numbers?" I try to hold all the confidence I can in my voice, trying not to show vulnerability to whoever it is.

"The routing numbers." I can tell it is a man's voice by the way it is deeper than mine, having a rough tone to it.

Suddenly the rag that covered my eyes was pulled down and I could see the man in front of me. The lights in the room hurt my head, or at least I think it was the lights that were hurting my head. "You can either tell me the numbers, or I turn to an alternative." His eyes are blue and piercing, boring holes into my head as if that would get him to numbers he needed.

"Don't have them." I say quieter than I intended.

"I guess we'll just have to think of another way to get it out of you." And before I could process what he said I felt something cold and hard hit the side of my head. The room and man before me spin as I hear deep laughter in front of me.

"Just tell us and we will let you go." The man before me kneels down so he is almost eye level with me. "We'll take the money and just disappear, like nothing ever happened." I could see how his smile might work in any other situation than the one we are currently in.

"I said I don't have the number." I spit in his face as another blow with the object hits me in the back.

"How does somebody like you with the power you have not know her own routing number." He stood up to full length before turning away from me and walking towards what I assumed was the exit. "I will just let you sit with that for a little bit." And with that he walks out of the door and I feel another hit to the back of my skull.

This happened for what felt like forever, a never ending demand from a smaller man behind man and then getting hit again. I could feel the blood trickling down the side of my face and another down my back. "Why are you doing this?" I weakly speak as I feel my lungs burn from the inside out.

"Just tell us the numbers." His gruff voice spoke from behind me once again.

"I don't have them!" My resolve that has held together for far too long was starting to get cracks in it. This time instead of feeling another blow to my back and shoulders, I feel a hand run against the side of my face, as if wiping away the blood that was there.

"Well I hope that hour gave you some time to remember that number." The man from before spoke as he came back in the room. I could smell his cologne from where I was kneeling on the ground, the smell hurting my head. I am pretty sure after the beating I have gotten, that I have a concussion and a bad one at that.

He kneeled down in front of me again, using his hand to lift my chin so I would look at him. The man before me was freshly showered and clean, like holding me hostage was just an everyday occurrence. "You know, maybe a shower would help you remember." He said this as he looked over the sweat and blood on my face and arms.

The man in front of me signaled the person behind him for something before turning to me. "I sure hope you remember soon before I have to do anything harsh." He touches my face, tracing the lines of dried blood with his finger. "It's a shame something so beautiful has to get damaged."

With this he stood up to his full length before walking towards the door again. "Give her a rinse and come meet me when you're done." He said to the person behind me. Before I knew what was going to happen I feel a strong gush of cold water hit my back, hitting my open wounds and stinging worse that adding salt.

The man proceeded to hit me with water until I was soaked to the bone and shivering. He finally came and stood in front of me, his shaggy hair and brown eyes not matching his actions. The man before me could have been a young man fresh out of college, bright and excited for what the world held for him, not a man that tortured women. Gently he took the corner of his shirt and wiped the water off of my face before turning to leave.

The young man didn't get a chance to leave though, the armed men on the other side of the door had got him before he could go any further. Shots fired as the smoke cleared and I could see armed men storming the room, guns cocked and ready for anything else. "Miss Chapman?" A deep voice asked behind a mask and black helmet.

"Yes?" I said weakly as I continued to shiver on the ground. The man who spoke waved to his men and they came forward. A smaller man went behind me, clipping the cold handcuffs off my wrists before signaling for somebody to come pick me up. A woman came forward in her gear, strong arms lifting me up, and basically carried me out of the room and eventually the building.

An ambulance was waiting outside for me, checking all of my vitals as I sat on the edge of the vehicle. The woman who brought me out removed her helmet and looked at me. "Ma'am, the situation has been taken care of, you are safe now." Her voice had a husky tone to it as she spoke. I tried to focus on her but my head continued to spin as I tried harder to focus.

A man behind me in the ambulance tapped me on the shoulder and spoke softly to me. "We are going to take you to the hospital to run some tests and get you checked out." He helped me onto the gurney in the back before turning to the woman that had brought me out. "Are you stationed with her?" She looked between me and the man before deciding to jump into the vehicle.

The ride to the hospital was a short one, the sirens blaring loud and the lights going strong outside the windows. When we arrived it was a mass of doctors and nurses pulling me every which way to run all sorts of different tests. Many MRI's and x-rays later I was finally sitting in my hospital room with the officer woman outside my door. I could see her shoulder and shadow in the opening of my door, her stature tall and confident.

My train of thought is broken when she is inside the doorframe looking in at me. "Miss Chapman, you have a guest. Would you like me to turn them away?" Her voice once again surprises me with the deepness of it.

"Who is it?" I say turning my head on my pillow, looking at her more closely now that my vision is a little less blurry.

"A woman named Polly Harper, ma'am." I wave her in and the officer stands back to let Polly into my room.

"Piper, thank god you are okay." I watch closely as the officer's eyes darted between us, assessing the situation.

"Hey, Pol." I open my arms for her to come in for a hug. "Not too rough, I am sore everywhere." I chuckle as I say this and she gives me a stern look. Quickly, I wave the officer out of the room so I could have some privacy with Polly.

"Do you want to talk about it?" Her voice is dripping with sympathy as she looks at me, eyes softened.

"No. I need you to do something for me though." I push myself up in my bed a little bit, wincing at the pain in my back where my cuts are.

"As a friend or as your assistant?" She looks at me with curiosity behind her eyes.

"Both. Get me a list of people who do personal protection and set up meetings for them starting tomorrow."

"Pipes, you are still in the hospital."

"I am going home tonight and I am not living without personal protection anymore. There have been close calls before but this was my last straw." I sigh looking up at her with pleading eyes.

"I'm surprised you waited this long, Piper." She sits down on the edge of my bed before looking at me. "I would've thought as a politician you would've had more protection by now." She opens her phone and writes something down before turning to look at me one last time. "You will stay at my place until we find you some people to watch over you." With that Polly stood up, kissed me on the forehead and walked out of my hospital room.


	2. Chapter 2

**hey guys! so i have a couple chapters already written if people still like the story. i hope you enjoy, let me know :)**

**Chapter 2:**

"Miss Vause?" A chirpy voice speaks from behind me, the face of one Polly Harper that I had met yesterday. "She's ready for your interview." I follow the petite woman down a hall and into a large glass office that overlooked New York City.

"Miss Chapman your next interview is here." She spoke to the blonde woman sitting behind a large marble top and wood desk.

"Yes, please come in." She motioned for me to take a seat opposite of her in one of the leather chairs. "I guess this is a more formal meeting than yesterday." She smiles at me softly before pulling out a file that I presumed to be mine.

As she is looking down at my file, her eyes perusing the page, I take a look at her for the first time. Her blue eyes are light with glow, her hair is styled up and back with small curls falling around her face, and I can see the new bruises and cuts that line her face and neck. There is a deep cut above her right eyebrow that is held together by butterfly stitches. "This is very impressive, Miss Vause." She closes my file and that snapped me out of my train of thought.

"Thank you, ma'am." I say, trying to regain my thoughts as she looks at me, leaning forward with her elbows on her desk.

"Tell me how somebody ranked as high as you in the military found herself in personal protection."

I lift my glasses off the bridge of my nose and place them on top of my head. "Haven't found something that fits me quite yet, so I have tried a little bit of everything since my discharge." I clear my throat as I see her lean back in her chair, looking at me intently. "I tried the police, armed protection, and now I am checking personal protection off my list."

"So that's why you were there yesterday, you got called in?" Her voice holds curiosity as she speaks.

"Yes, ma'am."

"Well, I would say you are almost over qualified for this job." She stands up from her chair and comes to stand in front of me, leaning against the edge of her desk. "Now, I called you in for an interview, but why did you show up? Do you want the job?" Her blue eyes looked into my green eyes and I can see the vulnerability in her eyes, as if scared of everything now.

"I wanted to try something new, something different." I let my eyebrows raise slightly as I look at her. Her eyes search my face for a minute as if looking for an answer to her question.

"Well, it's yours if you want it. I can have Polly send you for your equipment when you decide what you want." She pushed herself back up to her feet before extending her hand to me. I stand up and shake her hand before nodding my head, signaling I would take the position. "Perfect, you will take the day shifts. Polly will show you where to go from here."

The blonde walked around to the other side of her desk before pushing a button on her phone. "Polly, please take Miss Vause through the process." Within seconds the small brunette is standing in the doorway and motioning me to follow her.

I take one last look at Miss Chapman before leaving the room behind her assistant. She leads me down the hallway into what looked like a giant conference room, a small older man sitting at one end. "Hey, George. We got one more for you to measure up." I look between the two of them with what I am guessing is a look of curiosity. "This is George, he will measure you for your safety equipment, like your kevlar vest, holster, etcetera. I will be back shortly to take you to arms." She smiled at the old man that was now standing next to me before leaving the room.

"Now I need you to remove your jacket, ma'am." I remove my leather jacket, setting it down on the chair by the large wooden conference table. He lifts my arms up and motions me to spread my legs a little farther apart.

I stand still while he measure around my torso, chest and shoulders for the correct fit. He whispers a minor apology before measuring around my upper thigh. "I'm sorry, ma'am. It's for another holster." He laughs lightly at himself before continuing on.

"It's okay, this is the least embarrassing thing to happen to me." I smile down at the older man before looking forward once again.

After what felt like almost an hour of poking and prodding and measuring, he finally stands up to his full height and moves to sit down at the table, writing things down on paper. "Okay, so I have all your measurements, your equipment should be ready for your first day tomorrow. I'm assuming you know how to put this stuff on?"

"Yes, sir."

Within a couple of minutes Polly walks through the door once again, waving me out the door. "Thanks, George." I follow her once again down the hall, up a flight of stairs into a room that seems like a closed off office.

"Okay, Miss Vause. This is the arms room, this is where you will keep most of your guns and equipment once your shift is over usually. We have a selection of guns provided from Miss Chapman and you are to select a few to have. You get one personal protection weapon to keep on you at all times outside of work." She pushes open the door and I am exposed to a locker room type setting where I can see others' vest and holsters hanging with their names above the lockers they were in. I look over at the table in the middle of the room and see all sorts of guns on the table, most are handguns but with different grips, sizes, clips, and just overall appearance.

"So, I just pick some?" I ask as I let my hand trail across the surface of the table, not yet touching a gun.

"You get three along with a personal one." She stands by an empty locker before turning to me. "This will be your area to keep most of your stuff. Your name will be up there shortly."

I turn back to the table and pick up one of the handguns, feeling the weight of it in my hand, flipping the safety on and off, unloading a clip and putting it back in before pulling back the chamber. Nodding my head, I hand that one to Polly for her to place on the holder inside my locker area. I did this three more times but finished by grabbing a larger caliber for my personal one.

"Alright, here's the key to your locker and we will move onto debriefing in the conference room down the hall." I nodded slipping the key onto my keychain before following her out of the room.

The conference room was large, a large dark wood table filled the room and floor to ceiling windows covered the walls all around. I moved to sit in a chair, Polly handing me a folder of information. "Alright, you are Miss Chapman's day guard, you clock in at eight in the morning, and you will clock out when she has made it home safely at night. I understand this is a long day everyday, but you will be paid handsomely for it." She slides a check over to me from across the table, looking at it I see enough zeros to make me want this job even more. "Now, you will begin tomorrow. Your equipment will be here and ready for you, ammunition will be in your locker, and Miss Chapman will already be here." I nod slightly trying to follow along. "When you are done at night, there will be another guard that will take over for you, most nights it will be Miss Nichols, she has already been briefed and prepped." She slides another folder over to me. "This is the last information about who you will work with, what to watch out for, and most importantly it has most of Miss Chapman's information."

She walks around the large table and stands next to me, handing me a cell phone before walking towards the door. "That is your company phone, business only. Now, I am sure you know your way out." And with that she walks out of the conference room and I stand to leave.

The morning came way too early, my alarm going off at five so I could get my morning run and shower in before getting ready for work. When I arrived at the office, I saw there was already a guard stationed outside of Miss Chapman's office door, and there was somebody packing up in the arms room. "Hey." The wild haired, reddish-blonde said to me with a smile across her face. "You must be the day guard. I'm Nichols." She stuck her hand out to me, shaking it, and closing her locker door before locking it.

I walk over to my locker to see everything in there that I will need. I unlock the door and swing it open to see a nicely pressed suit inside hanging there. My fingers run across the fabric feeling the expensive material on my fingertips. "This woman must be loaded." I let this whisper slip past my lips.

"Well, I mean she is basically the equivalent of a senator, so yeah she is pretty loaded." Nichols said from the other side of the room. "Careful, she's a spitfire." And with that she gave me a small wave before leaving the room.

I slide my clothes off before putting on the fitted pants and white tank top. Sliding the kevlar vest over my head, I strap it all into place realizing how nicely it fit. I put the button-up white dress shirt on, buttoning every button before sliding my shoulder holster on, sliding one of my guns into place. Clipping my thigh holster on, I slide another gun into place, and finally putting on my fitted dark blue suit jacket. I look at my cubby one last time, seeing that there was an earpiece sitting on the top shelf with a radio. Situating the radio to the back of my pants and placing the earpiece in my ear, I close my locker door finally and lock it.

I knock on Miss Chapman's office door, turning the handle and letting myself in. "Ma'am, I just wanted to inform you that I have taken over your protection." The blonde snaps her head up from her computer desktop, looking at me with those stunning blue eyes.

"Thank you, Miss Vause." She smiles at me before I go to exit the room and close the door. "Actually, could you leave the door open?" I move and push the door open slightly before standing in position outside of her office.

My hands behind my back, chin held high and feet spread in the stance I am most accustomed to. I let my eyes travel up and down the halls as I stand there, looking at all the photographs and news papers that are framed.

A few minutes later I see Polly walk into Miss Chapman's office, speaking to her quickly before walking out. The blonde sighs and rubs her hands against her face before standing and coming to the door where I was. "I have a debriefing meeting set up to inform the public about what happened." I watch as she begins walking down the hallway, following shortly after her, keeping a watch on her.

She walks to the elevator, waiting for me to get on with her before hitting the P button to take us to the parking garage. When the doors open I see somebody already in a black Cadillac Escalade waiting for Miss Chapman to get into the vehicle. I open the back passenger side door for her, signaling for her to get in. When she is situated I open the passenger side door and jump in, buckling up before the driver takes off.

"How are you feeling today, ma'am?" The driver asked in his light voice, trying to create conversation.

"I am doing well, thank you Jimmy." She is still looking down at her phone as she says this, never making eye contact with me or the driver.

The ride to the state office was a short but quiet one as nobody spoke the whole way. When we pulled up there were already cameras and reporters outside the building, but the police had already sectioned off a path for us to get into the building.

I open the door for Miss Chapman, holding out my hand for her to take to help her out. When she starts walking into the building, following her closely to keep an eye on her. "Piper, what happened to you?" A dark haired woman reporter asked, but Miss Chapman just continued to look forward and not answer. "Piper!" People kept yelling her name, trying to get her attention to answer their questions before her meeting.

Once inside the building, she was soon surrounded by her peers, rushing her into makeup and outfit change before going in front of everybody. I tried to follow her closely but had a hard time when everybody kept crowding her to get her ready to go. I cleared my throat to grab everybody's attention in the small room. "Excuse me, ma'am. I am not able to protect you if I am not able to see you." Soon people moved slightly so I could see the blonde once again. Her eyes were bright and holding curiosity in them as she looked at me.

"Very well, Vause." She waved her hand and most of the people besides the makeup artist, hair stylist and outfit prep left the room.

Within thirty minutes Miss Chapman was ready and was reading over note cards that had been handed to her. Her eyes traced over every inch of them as her foot tapped against the ground. I was standing behind her, watching her through mirror in front of her. She chewed on her bottom lip lightly and had a nervous crease between her eyebrows. "Ma'am, may I speak freely?" I feel the words leave my mouth before realizing I could stop them.

"Okay." Her eyes leave her note cards and meet mine in the mirror.

"Don't talk about what you are not ready to talk about. They will ask uncomfortable questions that can bring that trauma to the forefront, so don't do what isn't comfortable to you, ma'am." I continue to look into her eyes from the mirror as I say this.

She nods her head lightly before looking back down at her cards, but I notice the nervous crease was gone this time. Within a few minutes, somebody came and called for the blonde to follow them. I follow them as they enter the large state room filled with other politicians and reporters.

Piper walks up to the stand and I stand slightly behind her and to her right, keeping my eyes scanning the room to assess the different situations that could occur.

"Hello, America." She clears her throat before continuing on. "There have been rumors of a hostage situation involving me and I am here today to confirm those rumors. A few days ago I was taken captive for my financial information, which was not given out." She steps back slightly and I see her hands shaking slightly before she turns and looks at me out of the corner of her eye. "There have been added protection and precautions for me and the people who work for me. The trust you have given me is and will always be protected. I know there are a lot of questions out there but I will not be answering at this time as I still need time to process." And with that she stepped back from the stand and walked off the stage, me following her close behind and people shouting questions at her.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3:**

The meeting had gone smoother than I had expected, I expected uproar and anger from my peers at the situation that this has created. The money I finance and exchange in forms of investments for the people of the United States was in jeopardy. That's billions of dollars in my hands and I could have lost it.

Miss Vause opened my door and held out a hand for me to take as I exited the vehicle and walked into my apartment building. She follows closely behind me, keeping an eye on everything around me and her, assessing every situation. I unlock the door to my loft before entering, turning to see her already taking stance outside my door. "You can't really protect me from everything if you can't see me, you said so yourself." I mocked her lightly before opening the door wider for her to follow in behind me.

She stands beside the door in her military stance once again watching me closely, then her eyes travel around the room. "Nichols doesn't take over until ten." I tell her before walking over to the island in my luxurious kitchen. "Let's eat."

I see her eyes travel to me once again looking at me as I pull out pots and pans from my cupboard. "Ma'am, I think that is unprofessional. I will eat once my shift is over." Her husky voice hits me to the core, making me shiver slightly.

"It's food, don't overthink it Vause." I smile at her before placing the pot on the stove with water in it. She shifts slightly, thinking about the options in her mind before walking closer to the kitchen. "Now, do you like pasta?" I ask her as I pull out ingredients out of the fridge.

"Yes, ma'am." She turns around so her back is towards me as she continues to watch the room around us. My eyes travel to her back and for the first time I get to appreciate the figure that Alex Vause is. Her broad shoulders making her suit coat fit very nicely, her nice fitting pants with her holster hanging lightly off of it. Her hair was pulled back into a tight ponytail, her glasses framed her face perfectly and of course those green eyes I had been looking at all day made me weak in the knees.

I continue to cook dinner as she stands there, not once breaking stance and looking around the room. "Don't you think it smells good, huh?" I ask her, trying to create conversation in any way that I could think of.

"Yes, ma'am." Her deep voice says once again, making me want her to just turn around and look at me.

"Well, it's ready." I say a little short with her, not knowing where it came from. She finally turns around and looks at the pan of chicken and pasta that I made. I reach up to the cupboard above the counter next to the stove to grab plates for us. When I turn back around I see her eyes leave me, a light pink color forming on her cheeks.

I hand her a plate before putting some pasta on my plate and walking over to the glass table that sits on the other side of the island in my kitchen. My eyes follow her movements as she plates some food for herself before coming and sitting across the table from me.

We sat there eating in silence, her rushing to eat so she could get back to her job of watching over me. I ate slowly, savoring the food and the moment of just getting to look at her. When she was done she placed the plate in the dishwasher and took stance once again by the side of the kitchen where she could see the whole room and me at the same time. "You could say thank you." I snicker at her before taking my own plate to the dishwasher.

"Thank you, ma'am." She says this in that deep voice that seemed to have a direct connection to the electricity in my nerves.

I look at the clock and see that it was almost nine. "I am going to get ready for bed." I said this once again with a shorter tone than before.

"Okay, ma'am." She didn't look at me as she said that, her stance not once faltering.

I walk upstairs and enter my bedroom, hearing her soft footsteps following me as she takes stance outside my bedroom door. Undressing I put on an old college t-shirt and sleeping shorts before laying in bed. I had left the door open just slightly, allowing me to see her figure in the glow of the light from downstairs.

Laying there, I continued to toss and turn not being able to get the brunette out of my mind. I look over towards the door and see her figure was gone, making me huff. The clock beside my bed said it was a little after ten, telling me she probably had already switched with Nichols.

My mind wandered to Alex Vause once again, the way she had strength in everything she did, her perfect green eyes, the way she just was there. How every step she took, I could see the muscles of her legs through her pants, when she talked into her earpiece I could see the strength of her arms. What I wouldn't do to feel those arms around me one more time. My eyes once again wander to the door, seeing that nobody was out there still, I stand up and close the door before laying back in bed. _It couldn't hurt._ I thought this as I let my hands travel over my body with a certain brunette in my mind.

**Alex:**

This morning I was up bright and early, so I could be at Miss Chapman's loft early. When I was let in by Nichols I saw a grin on her face that spoke volumes. "Your turn." She said this as she patted me on the back.

"Wait, why are you smiling like that?" I ask her in a hushed tone, not knowing if the blonde beauty was awake yet.

"You'll find out… Alex." And with that she headed out of the door with a final wink, leaving me standing there confused.

Walking up the stairs I go to inform Miss Chapman of my presence, opening the door slightly. Instantly my breath was taken away from me. The blonde was laying on her stomach, one hand stretched out to her side and the other under her pillow. The covers had fallen below her waist and I could see that she had at some point lost her pants during the night.

I won't lie and say that my eyes didn't travel over every inch of skin that was available to me, memorizing the way it looked with the light from the morning sun, or tracing the pattern of lace on her panties. She had a small smile on her face, expressing that she was dreaming of something good.

As she began to stir I closed the door and knocked, making sure she was actually awake this time. "Miss Chapman?"

"Uh… one second!" Her sleep ridden voice yells from behind the door as I hear minor shuffling of the sheets. "Okay."

I opened the door to see her sitting upright in bed with the sheets covering her up to her chest. "I just wanted to inform you that I have taken over your protection." I say as I look at her.

"Thank you, Al-uh… Vause." She shook her head as if trying to wrap her mind around something.

"I am going to get ready, so I will meet you downstairs to go over the agenda for today." I nodded my head in her direction before closing the door. "Oh god…" I hear her sigh on the other side of the door.

"Are you okay in there, Miss Chapman?" I ask through the door.

"Yes, Vause. I will meet you downstairs." She says back to me through the door with a short tone before I begin to walk downstairs.

It was about a half hour before I heard the light tap of heels walking down the wooden stairs. I look up and see the blonde walking down the stairs in her business outfit of a buttoned up blouse and pencil skirt, but this time her hair was down and curled. "Okay, now I look presentable. I'm sorry about what you had to see earlier." She said this as she poured coffee into her cup, a light blush on her cheeks. _If only you knew._

"It's alright, ma'am." I spoke with a rough voice, trying to get the image of her out of my head.

"Okay, Vause" She sits down at the large glass table with her phone in her hand. "Today is going to be pretty boring. I have a lunch meeting at one and then I am leaving work early to come home and pack. Which reminds me, you need to pack too. We are going to Hawaii to close a deal with some investors and peers of mine. We leave tomorrow morning at six." I let my eyes travel to her as she continues to look at her phone. She finally feels my gaze on her and looks up from her phone. "I'm sorry this is last minute, Nichols is also coming so you will get your nights off starting at eight instead of ten."

"Yes, ma'am." I let my thoughts wander to what I needed to pack for the trip. Probably just underwear and bras since I wear a uniform the rest of the time.

"Okay, you ready?" She stands up, pushing in her chair before walking towards the door grabbing her keys. "We're taking my car this morning, how are you at driving?" She says as she tosses me the keys.

"I'm alright, ma'am." I catch the keys and look at her with a look of confusion.

"Perfect, Jimmy is off today and I do not feel like driving." She is already out the door and to the elevator as she says this.

Locking the door behind me, I get in the elevator with her. I can sense the heat between the two of us standing in the elevator relatively close. Not that the elevator wasn't huge, we just were standing closer than we should've been, but I didn't sense her moving away from me any time soon. When the doors slide open I step out, hitting the lock button on the key fob to find out which one is hers. Looking at where the honking noise came from I see a silver Audi R8 sitting in what seemed to be a reserved space. "Oh my god…"

"It's nice, right?" She pats me on the shoulder as she walks over and gets into the passenger side.

"I would say too nice for me to drive." I say even though I know she cannot hear me.

I slide into the car on the black luxury leather seat and for a second I forget where I am and what I am supposed to be doing. My mind switches to auto pilot and I press the start engine button and almost passed out when I hear it roar to life. Shifting it into reverse it moves with pure unrelinquished energy, backing up until I could turn out of the space.

Turning the wheel sharp I smile over at Miss Chapman before shifting into drive and tear out of the garage. The car turned perfectly and never did anything I didn't want it to. Halfway to work I look over and see the blonde beauty staring at me with curiosity on her features. Gathering my composure I put my work look back on, letting the happiness slide easily off my face. "Why do you do that?" She asks from the other side of the car.

"Do what, ma'am?" I speak in my military voice as I pull into the parking lot of the building.

"Shut down your emotions around me." She lightly touches my arm to grab my attention. "You don't have to, you know." And with that she got out of the passenger side of the car.

I step out of the driver's side handing the keys to a valet of the building before following Miss Chapman into the building. She is already in the elevator and I have to rush to make it in before the doors slide closed. "I'm here to protect you, I'm not here to show emotion." I say as the elevator dings as we pass the second floor.

"I want a person protecting me, not some emotionless robot." She says with a soft tone even though the words were harsh.

"Ma'am you hired me for my experience, not for my personality." And with that the doors opened to the floor that her office was on and I stepped out waiting for her to follow.


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4:**

Yesterday had gone smoothly, there were no threats at her lunch meeting and my shift was cut short when a guard I haven't met relieved me of my post so I could go home and pack. He was short and stocky, seemed like another armed services veteran.

I went home last night and shoved any clean clothes I could find into my old military duffle bag. Scraping the bottom of my dresser I finally found my swim suit for when I was off duty and could enjoy my time. Once my bag was packed, I went to bed for my early morning.

That brings us to the present where Miss Chapman, Nichols and me were on a jet to Hawaii at six in the morning. Getting through security was harder than we thought with having to show paperwork for our guns and getting the bags through checkpoint.

But we finally got on the plane and Nichols fell asleep immediately when the plane took off. Miss Chapman was different, she had her legs tucked up under her with a book on her lap reading intently. Unbuckling from the chair, I stood up stretching my arms above my head and when my eyes traveled back down when I relaxed once again I saw the blonde remove her eyes from me with a light pink color on her cheeks.

I walk back to the bathroom on the plane, nudging Nichols on my way to keep an eye on everything until I got back. Technically she was off duty but she was still suited up for moments like this. I splash water on my face as I try to wake myself up and focus on what I needed to.

To be honest, the image from the other morning hasn't left my mind in the last 24 hours and I don't think it will. The smooth skin and the tan color of her legs as she had messy morning hair all over the place. Holding a towel to my face I try to pull the image out of my head before opening the door once again and heading out of the bathroom.

"Vause, we will be landing here in the next twenty minutes." Nichols informs me as I sit down in the chair across from her.

"Thanks." I say as I pull my phone out to check for any messages and saw none, placing the phone back in my pocket.

"What's going on, man?" Her brown eyes met mine and I could see she genuinely cared.

"Just got something on my mind." I smile at her lightly trying to pull it off that she didn't need to worry or ask more questions.

"Well, I'm always here so if you need to talk, just start talking." She pats my knee as she says this before laying her head against the back of the chair once again closing her eyes.

The car ride to the resort took no time at all and I was grateful for that because I needed to get away from the blonde. All morning she had been short with me, driving me crazy more than she ever has before. Nothing I did seemed to be right or wrong, just not what she wanted or needed.

When we got to the hotel Miss Chapman turned to me and Nichols. "Okay, Nichols you are one door down that way. Vause you are next door to me." She hands us our separate key cards before opening her door and slamming it shut.

"Okay, what did you do to piss of the boss lady?" Nichols asked as she turned to walk down to her door.

"I don't know, but I hope it changes soon." I shake my head as I opened my door and walked in.

Closing the door behind me, I set my duffle bag on the floor and look around the room. The bed was at least a queen size, a large flatscreen television was across from the bed, the bathroom had a large jacuzzi tub inside it with a glass shower. Walking over to the sliding door opposite of the normal door, I open it and see the ocean and feel a warm breeze hit my face. Closing my eyes to enjoy the moment, I hear crashing coming from next door to me. I jump over my rail, over the one-foot gap and onto the patio next to mine. Pulling my gun I look into the room and see stuff already thrown around the room, as if she was looking for something in particular.

Holstering my gun, I knock lightly on the glass sliding door to catch the blonde's attention. She looked up at me shocked before coming over and opening the sliding door. "How did you get-"

"Are you safe, ma'am?" I ask her, pushing past her to look around the luxury suite. With my hand on my gun I look in the bathroom and the closet along with the mini kitchen in her room.

"Yes, why wouldn't I be?" She snarled at me as she closes the sliding door.

"I heard loud noises coming from here." I finally put the safety lock back on my gun and turn to look at her. "I'm sorry for the intrusion, ma'am."

"No, thank you for checking Vause." She kept looking through every bag that she had brought with her. "You may go now."

Realizing I forgot my key and the door was locked, I went back to her patio. "What are-" Before she could answer I jumped to my own patio once again.

"I forgot my key." I let a small smile slip before turning back into my room once again.

**Piper:**

The first meeting of the day had gone smoothly, no hiccups or problems surfaced but today was the easy meeting, tomorrow would be harder. I went into the hotel restaurant and ordered my food to go to take back to my room, so I could relax and prepare for the meeting tomorrow.

Leaning against the bar's counter waiting for my food, something shiny catches my eye and I turn to look. And that's when my mouth went completely dry.

There was Alex Vause in a wetsuit that was unzipped and off her shoulders, hanging around her waist, carrying a rented surfboard, and small water droplets on her skin. Her bikini top left nothing to the imagination and I doubt it helped when surfing. She must have felt my gaze on her because she looked up and saw me standing there. She set the surfboard down and leaned it against the check-in desk before walking towards me. "Hey…" She said shyly once she reached me, pulling up the top half of her wetsuit to cover herself.

"I didn't know you surfed." I said with a roughness in my voice that wasn't there minutes ago when I ordered my food.

"You don't know a lot about me." She countered before letting a small smile slip past on her lips. "When I was stationed here I surfed any time I could, get thoughts out of my mind and just focus on something that made sense."

I look into her eyes for what truly felt like the first time, seeing a human being behind those beautiful green eyes instead of just something to protect me. Nodding slowly, I hear the man behind the bar set a container down with food. "I think your food is ready, ma'am." She seemed to have slipped out of whatever trance we had and back into her military background once again.

"Nichols took over for you early today, was this so you could go surfing?" I asked as I grabbed my container and continued to walk with the brunette towards the elevator.

"No, ma'am." She shook her head lightly before pressing the seventh floor button for us. "Nichols wanted the night off for some extracurriculars, so she covered most of my day so I could cover most of her night."

I let my mind play over the words Miss Vause had just said to me before it finally hit me. "Oh!" I felt heat run up my neck and cheeks for the amount of embarrassment I felt, but from what I'm not sure.

"Yes, ma'am." When the doors opened to our floor, she turned to me once again before speaking. "I am going to get cleaned up and then I will be at your service." She smiled as she passed Nichols on her way back to her room.

"Hello, ma'am." The brown eyed woman said to me as I unlocked my door and walked in with my food.

Grabbing my laptop, I sat on the bed looking over the numbers for tomorrow's meeting while I ate my food, but struggled to get the brunette woman out of my thoughts. And before I knew how much time had passed, I hear a steady knock on my door pulling me away from the work on my computer. "Come in."

"Ma'am I just wanted to let you know I am taking over your protection now." The brunette said as she stood in my doorway.

"Thank you, Vause." I smile towards her as she begins to close the door. "Wait-"

"Yes,ma'am?" She pokes her head around the corner of the door once again.

"I think I am going out tonight, so get what you need." I smile at her before closing my laptop and standing up.

"Sure thing, ma'am." She closes the door and I can hear that she didn't move from outside my door.

I need something to get the woman and her body that's on the other side of that door off my mind. Digging in all the bags I brought I find just the dress I am looking for and the matching heels. I change quickly into my black cocktail dress that fit my body nicely, touching up my makeup slightly to show off my eyes more. Grabbing my license, cards, and money I step out of the hotel room door.

"Are you ready-" The brunette begins to ask but once her eyes land on me she falls short. She coughs slightly before speaking again. "Are you ready, ma'am?"

I nod my head, walking down the hallway, making it more of a show. Softly I feel her arm pass my side and push the elevator button before I could. Her presence was close to me and I could feel the heat between the two of us escalate. "Where to, ma'am?" She asks standing next to me, her voice an octave deeper than normal.

"Wherever the party is." I smirked, willing myself to not look at her.

"Yes, ma'am." She stepped into the elevator and I followed close behind.

When the elevator doors slid open I could feel the warm yet cold breeze hit my face from the night air. I walked out the front doors of the hotel and into the car that had been waiting for me. Miss Vause sat in the passenger seat, explaining the directions to Jimmy as we pulled out of the parking lot.

The drive wasn't long, something I probably could have walked had I known. When we pulled up in front of the club, Miss Vause opened my door and extended her hand to me once again to help me out. I hold onto her hand as I step out of the vehicle, taking in the atmosphere around me. Music was coming from inside and I could see everybody dancing and having a good time, most of them intoxicated.

Walking to the front doors, I feel the brunette right behind me, closer than she usually is. I open the door and enter the building and immediately walked to the bar to get something to drink. "Something strong, please." I say to the fashionable man behind the bar. He nods, understanding that I need something that will take the edge off quick.

Within a minute he slides the drink across the bar to me and I slide him a twenty for the drink. He looks between me and the money as if he wasn't sure if he should make change, so I stood up and walked to one of the booth tables in the corner. When I finally sit down with my drink, I can already tell that the first few sips have already taken that edge off. I look over at Miss Vause to see her in her military stance once again, but just outside of the booth, looking out and into the crowd probably assessing everything in her view.

Looking closely I could she the muscles in her neck strain a little, as if in frustration of the situation she is in. Standing up, I handed her the rest of my drink. "Listen, Vause. You need to calm down or you will have a heart attack." I laugh at her expression, trying to figure me out. "Finish this for me, I am going dancing." And with that I patted her shoulder and walked into the crowd of people dancing.

Within seconds I was surrounded by men and women all pushing against me, making me feel the vibrations of the music through the floor. Heavy hands fell onto my hips and a hot breath hit my neck as I continued to dance, rather provocatively. Soon, those arms wrapped around me, pulling me against a hard chest making me close my eyes at the feeling. The way his body moved against mine was doing the job, but images of the brunette still lingered there. How her body would feel against mine, her femine and strong arms wrapped around me as we danced like this.

Before I knew what was happening, slightly smaller and lighter hands grabbed my waist and pulled me away from the body behind me. When I opened my eyes I see the brunette of my thoughts holding me against her as she leads me out of the crowd. "What's wrong?" I asked, trying to connect the dots.

"Ma'am, I think we should go." She says as she gestures towards the front doors.

"No, I'm having fun." I say to her over the music which proved to be harder than I thought. "Feel free to leave, Vause." Smiling at her in the most passive-aggressive smile I could manage.

When I looked into her eyes I saw a fire behind them that I hadn't seen before. "You hired me to keep you safe, now we are leaving." She grabbed hold of my wrist but not in a strong or hurtful way, but in a way that made the decision final.

The warm air that hit me when I got out of the club sobered me up more than I wanted it to. Looking over as the brunette got into the passenger side of the car, I realize this is the first time I will be opening my own door for the first time in three days. Not like I expected it, but I never realized my small dependency on her already.

The car ride was silent and filled with tension as we made our way back to the hotel. When we arrived, once again I was left to open my own door to get out of the vehicle. I walked into the hotel and into the elevator before I finally spoke up. "I was having fun, there was no reason to tear that away from me."

Out of the corner of my eye I could see her biting her tongue on something she wanted to see. Pressing the stop button on the elevator and turning towards her I speak up once again. "Damn it, Vause. If you have something to say just fucking say it." My voice came out louder than I wanted but before I knew it, it had already come out.

"I'm fine, ma'am." Her voice was strained as she pushed the words past her teeth.

"Obviously something has your mind turning, now spit it out." I was now standing squarely in front of her, my eyes burning into hers.

"I'm fine, ma'am." She said once again, her eyes looking above my head as she pushed the stop button once again.

Turning around I push the stop button again. "Tell me now or else, Vause." The words came out snarled as I felt my blood begin to boil.

"Or else what? You fire me? I can find another job." She huffed at me. "Ma'am." A large sigh coming out of her nose as if it was a pressure release.

"Just fucking tell me!" I pushed my hands against her shoulders, making her stumble back a few steps.

"I'm fine, ma'am." This time I could see the muscles straining in her neck as she said this. Pushing her again, her back hits the wall. "Damn it, Chapman!" She grabbed my wrists, turning us around and holding them to my sides. "That man was going to bring you back here, fuck you, ask for money and leave. He just wanted you for sex and money." She snarled this out in my face, mere inches away from mine. "Now, I am not going to apologize for saving you from that regret in the morning."

Her breath hit my face in puffs, just showing how worked up she had gotten. My heart was pounding against my chest as I breathed out the words. "That was not your choice to make." Her eyes travel from mine, looking at every inch of my face.

"You hired me to protect you, that's what I was doing." Her voice was softer this time, her face just slightly closer to mine. My eyes travel from hers to her lips and stay there. I feel myself leaning in, closing the gap between us, but at the last second my lips graze her cheek before she pulled away. "I'm sorry, ma'am. We can't." And with that she hit the stop button and got out of the elevator. I watched as she walked to position outside my hotel door, my body still against the elevator wall and my mind racing.

Flattening out my dress, I step off the elevator and walk to my hotel door, unlocking it and stepping inside. Leaning my head against the door once it closes, I let my mind wander once again to the woman on the other side and everything she made me feel. The electric currents I felt when her skin touched mine, the way her shallow breath made my heart pound, the proximity that we were in.

Sliding down the door, my hands in my hair trying to make my brain stop spinning I realize for the first time just how badly she was in my head. How much I wanted her, how much those little conversations meant, and how much I craved to be near her.


	5. Chapter 5

**Hey guys! Sorry for a day late update, I had this chapter written and then when I read it again before posting it, I decided I didn't like how it was. So I changed about a third of it but I like how this turned out a lot better. Now before reading this chapter I do want to add a few things. There is a mention of PTSD in this, I myself am diagnosed with this and used some of the feelings that go along with it from what I have experienced. Not everybody experiences it this way or has the same reactions, so I tried to keep that in mind when writing this. Also, I wanted to say I know nothing of politics as I am a science person, but I needed to extend the storyline, so I apologize if any of my politics or processes of government election are incorrect, but I tried my best. Now with all of this said and a long introduction, I give you the fifth chapter. Enjoy :)**

**Chapter 5:**

At about three in the morning Nichols finally showed up to finish up her shift as the night guard and I couldn't be happier. "Thanks, Nichols."

"No, _thank you_." Her deep brown eye winked at me as she said this. I patted her shoulder as I started towards my door, letting the stress from the night off my shoulders.

Once inside my room I let a big breath leave my lungs that had been there all night. Unholstering my guns from my hip and thigh, making sure the safety is on, I set them in the safe the hotel provided before taking off my shirt and protective vest.I walk into the large suite bathroom, standing in front of the bathroom mirror in my dress pants and a sports bra, I splash ice cold water on my face to try and gather my thoughts.

Watching the blonde dancing with that man behind her, had caused a red rage inside that I hadn't felt in years. The kind of rage I felt when I was not able to come home to my own mother's funeral. The man had his arms wrapped around her body, pressing against her with his whole body, trying to get her to go home with him.

Looking in the mirror, I let my eyes travel across my chest, shoulders and abdomen, looking at all the scars from over the years. The scars from war, the scars from people in my past, scars from myself. All over were white, thin marks from times something blew up or when I was hit with something. I sigh one more time before turning off the light and walking out of the bathroom, taking my dress pants off and leaving them hanging off the back of a chair. Setting my glasses on the table beside my bed and setting the alarm on my phone, I finally lie down in my bed. The cool sheets feel amazing against my warm skin as I close my eyes and let the depths of sleep take over me.

I didn't know what the time was, but I heard screaming. Loud, piercing screams that came from somewhere nearby. Sitting up, I grabbed a pair of old military training shorts I left on the end of the bed from earlier and run to my safe. Punching the numbers into the keypad, the screaming gets louder and makes me shift into gear by the time I get a gun in my hand. I realize the noise is coming from next door, but it continued meaning Nichols wasn't in there with her yet. Sliding my patio door open I once again jump the space between our patios, landing quietly with my gun off safety and the chamber ready. I pull on the sliding door, realizing that she didn't lock it. _Idiot._

Stepping inside her room the cool air hits me from the air conditioning as my eyes adjust to the darkness. I see Miss Chapman laying face down on her stomach, screaming into the cool air above her and her hands gripping her pillow with a deathly tight grip. I look around the rest of the room, crouching in a protective stance as I look in the bathroom and small kitchen, finally realizing that nobody was there.

When I made sure everything was clear I sat next to her on the bed, looking down at her. For the first time entering the room I can see the tears that have fallen down her face and pooled on her pillow and the tears that have stained her face. I knew this all too well. The panicked grip and screams, she was having a nightmare or flashback.

Lightly pulling her hair from her face and tucking it behind her ear, I wait for her to come out of it on her own. Anytime I am pulled out of one forcefully it does more damage than good, making everything around me unreal and vivid in a way that I can't use words to describe. When she finally seemed to come to, her eyes fluttering as if trying to make sense of the surroundings around her, I rubbed her shoulder with the lightest of touches. "Miss Chapman, I am here, don't be frightened."

As my words travel to her, I feel her lean against my touch before sitting up and turning on the lamp beside her bed. When the light hit her features I could see the tears that stained her cheek and the way her eyes seemed frenzied and glassed over, not quite with me in the room. "Name five things you can see in this room."

"Wha-"

"I said name five things you can see in this room, Piper." Her eyes travel from looking down at the bed to look around the room.

"A tv, my suitcase, the bathroom, the fridge, and you." Her voice is shaky as she speaks, scared that saying anything could bring those images back into her mind.

"That's good. Now, name four things you hear."

"The wind, the air conditioner, the water running, and your breathing." This time her voice was more stable and her eyes a little less frenzied.

"Okay, now say three things that you feel."

"The sheets, the cool air on my skin, and the dent in my bed from where I am sitting."

I smile at her when she begins to come to herself once again. "Any better?" I ask my voice holding a soft tone to it that hopefully also reaches my eyes.

"Yeah, actually I do feel a little better." Her voice and breathing had stabilized after grounding herself. "How did you know what to do?"

"Ma'am, I served four tours and went to war. I didn't come back unscarred, I learned these things from a couple years of therapy for my PTSD. I still struggle from time to time, but it has gotten better over the years." I straighten the sheet in front of me as I said this, not wanting my eyes to meet her as I open this up to her.

After I said this I could see her looking at the scars that covered my torso, which made me realize I hadn't put a shirt on before coming over. "Are those scars from combat?" I felt her fingertips trace a particularly long scar on my shoulder the reached down my upper arm from the time a landmine blew and rolled our vehicle over.

"Some."

"I never had scars before this week." I watched as she pulled her shirt over her head and could see the fresh wounds and cuts that covered her shoulders and back. Most were still a raw red color, pink showing they still caused pain. "They are pretty ugly, aren't they?" Her voice dropped an octave as she said this, her eyes falling to covers in front of her, sadness filling her eyes that I hadn't ever seen there before.

"No." I lift her chin up with my finger so she would look me in the eyes. "They are beautiful remembrances of how brave you were and still are." I let my hand fall to her shoulder, tracing a finger lightly across one of her new scars. "They will heal and they will fade, same with your memories, but never let it define you." Dropping my hand, I stand up and walk towards the patio door.

"Who are you?" Her voice has several emotions behind it as she speaks.

"Just somebody to protect you, ma'am." I nod my head before stepping out onto the patio and jumping back over to mine.

The morning came too early as the sun shone through the curtains I had left open the night before. Getting up, I feel the muscles in my back stiffen tight as they do most mornings after sleeping. Walking into the shower and turning the water on, I let the water rush over me, washing away everything from the day previous. Washing away the anger, exhaustion, and the sadness from every day for the last few years.

Sliding on a new pair of dress pants, I sit on the end of the bed to put socks and shoes on when a soft knock lands on my door. Throwing on my vest quick that was sitting on the wall next to my bed, I answer the door while I finished tightening the straps on it.

"Good, you're awake." The blonde with bright blue eyes looked up at me from across the doorway. "We have a meeting with investors in an hour across town, so I just wanted to make sure you were ready." Her eyes glance at me and the way I am only half dressed for work. "And I see you are about halfway there, so I will meet you in the lobby." She smiles up at me lightly before turning on her heels and walking away with Nicky right behind her.

"Yes, ma'am." I say down the hallway even though I know she can't hear me from that far.

Closing the door behind me, I grab the only clean dress shirt I have left in the closet of the hotel room. Slipping it over my shoulders and buttoning it up, I feel myself slip back into the mode of work once again.

Once downstairs and in the lobby, I see Nicky happy to see me, ready to get off of work and get some sleep. "Ma'am, I want to inform you I am taking over your protection now." I say sternly as I approach the blonde sitting on the couch in front of me.

"Okay, Nichols I suppose you are off now. Make sure to be downstairs in the lobby by eight for dinner." Miss Chapman says as she stands up, grabbing a briefcase I hadn't seen before.

"Yes, ma'am." With that Nicky nodded towards me before heading up to hotel room, already unbuttoning her shirt and ready to lay in bed.

"Okay, Vause. You ready?" The blonde says this as her eyes are trained on her phone.

"Yes, ma'am." I say this as I follow her out to the car that Jimmy is waiting to take us across town to the investors' meeting.

The ride started out quiet, making my nerves finally settle but not for long. "Vause, there are going to be large investors there today that are going to help on my campaign trail, so keep your eyes peeled a little more please." I could hear an uncertainty in her voice as she says this to me from behind my seat.

"Ma'am, you have nothing to worry about." I say letting my guard down for a split second remembering those tear stained cheeks from the night before.

I look in the side mirror to see her face as I said this, her features softening just the tiniest bit before continuing whatever was on her phone. It wasn't long before we pulled into the parking lot and I was helping her out of the car. The building was mainly glass, letting the warm Hawaiian sun hit the window panes causing the light to reflect the image of the buildings around it. I walked close behind her as I saw many people at one time entering the building ahead of us, not wanting her out of my sight.

The conference room had beautiful ocean paintings on the walls, with a nice granite topped table that filled the whole room. Many men and women sat around the table, all looking professional and ready for the meeting to begin. "Hello ladies and gentlemen, I am so sorry for my delay getting here." The blonde's words reverberated around the room causing people to nod their heads and giving slight smiles in her direction.

She moved to stand at one end of the table, me standing slightly behind and to the right of her as she opened her briefcase and began handing out folders to everybody at the table. "First of all, I want to thank you all so much for coming in today and to be willing to hear my pitch." She smiled to all the people in the room one last time before sitting down in a large leather office chair. "In the folders I just handed out is all the information on my campaign that I have planned for the years to come. It starts with getting myself out there, branding myself, creating a profile besides what others have just heard or read about me." She cleared her throat, not wanting to bring up the incident from the week prior. "I want to make my run for president in the future known. There are many levels between being where I am now to being where I want to be. Now I am not planning on running in the next couple of elections, but down the line when I have made the impacts I need to now. First stop is the U.S. Senate, which can be in my grasp here within the next couple years."

I watch as she folded her hands together before resting them on the table and looking directly at everybody in the room before continuing. "Now, I know this is a long road ahead of us and it may not work out in the end, but I am tired of seeing our government run the way it is right now." Everybody around the room nods their heads slightly as they are hanging on every word she says.

I stand back mesmerized by the way her words have an effect on people, how much passion she cares for the people in the world. The way her voice has a kindness to it as she speaks to these people, taking them on an adventure of the world she has pictured in her future.

"You have my backing, Miss Chapman." An older man from down the table says, drawing my attention back from the figure of the blonde sitting directly in front of me.

Soft agreements continue to flow towards the blonde, making her smile and praise them for their patience and willingness to help her in her goals. "That is all I have for today, thank you all again for making the trip and let this be the beginning of something great." She smiles as she stands, hands on the table before moving around the table shaking hands with everybody in the room before they leave.

I watch silently as she makes her rounds, my eyes lingering on the interactions between her and all the people. Not once did she falter in her confidence as she said her final goodbyes to the richest people in the corporate businesses.

Minutes later she moves to clean up the contents of her briefcase that she had set on the table during the meeting. "Thank you, by the way." Her voice soft and not at all holding the confidence it did mere minutes before.

"It's my job, ma'am."

"Not for that." She shakes her head lightly as she closes her case, moving to face me. "Thank you for last night, for coming to help in my momentary lapse of vulnerability." She says in her most professional voice, as if thanking me was a business deal, not letting her emotions get involved in the apology.

"You're welcome, ma'am." I nod in her direction, letting a soft smile play at the corners of my lips, not giving her a full smile.

She nods at me before walking out of the conference room and towards the elevator down the hall. Standing next to her in the elevator, I felt a tension that could have been cut with a knife. A cold feeling resided between us, between the words that neither of us wanted to stay or admit to one another. "When we get back to the hotel, I have a few last minute things to finish up before we leave tomorrow for New York. I am taking you and Nichols to dinner tonight for your hard work on this trip." She looked at her phone as she continued talking to me, not once meeting my eyes. "Casual dress tonight, I am giving you ladies the night to enjoy Hawaii before we head back." With those final words she locks her phone, slipping it into the pocket of her dress pants before exiting the elevator.

The night came fast as I found myself standing outside the blonde beauty's hotel door as she showered and got ready for dinner. Nichols was standing next to me in a pair of light colored jeans and black t-shirt with a gun holstered at her hip. After getting back to the hotel we had decided to still bring guns to dinner for protection even though we are not technically on duty. "So you and blondie, huh?" Her voice is gruff as she asks me this, trying to get me to look her in the eyes.

"What?"

"You and Chapman." She smiles that sly smile at me trying to get her point across.

"No, Nichols. She is my boss and that is all she will ever be." A sick feeling sinks inside me as I say the words that were all too true.

"Honestly, I just began to wonder when I kept hearing your name behind her door at night." She chuckles to herself as she says this to me.

"What do you mean?"

"I'm just saying if I didn't see you leave her building after your shift ended then I would assume you were in there with her instead." She chuckled as she said this, knowing something I didn't.

Before I could ask anymore questions about the topic, Miss Chapman stepped out of the door in a red sundress, white flowers covering the bottom of the fabric and black heels. "God, are you ladies ready yet?" She asks with a smile that could have lit up the whole night.

"Yes, ma'am." Was all me and Nichols said as we followed her to the elevator.


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6:**

When digging through my bag for what to wear, my hand landed on my red dress and immediately Alex Vause shot through my mind. _How would she react to this? _I know it shouldn't matter what she should think of my dress, but I do care about what she thinks. This will be the first time that we will really see each other out of work. Pulling out the dress I hold it up to look at it once again, finally deciding that I was going to wear it tonight. Slipping the dress on and pulling up the zipper on the side, I take one last look in the mirror at my makeup. I used darker tones around my eyes, making them contrast just that much more and I curled my hair just lightly enough for it to fall in waves against my shoulders.

Grabbing my black clutch off of the table by the door, I opened the door to see my two protectors. "God, are you ladies ready yet?" My eyes landing on the brunette, seeing how her eyes darken just that tinge more. I look at the brunette standing in front of me seeing that she has decided to wear black skinny jeans, a white v-neck t-shirt that showed just a perfect amount of her chest and a holster with a gun on her hip. Clearing my throat I look away from her, feeling the heat rise up my neck to my face.

"Yes, ma'am." They both spoke as I began leading them to the elevator.

Although we were all standing the same distance apart, I could feel the heat between me and Vause, the way it made me weak in the knees. When the elevator doors opened, the brunette opened my car door for me again, obviously over the little spat from last night. The drive was quiet to the restaurant as both women seemed to still be in work mode, which honestly made me a little sad probably knowing dinner would be like this too.

When we pulled up to the restaurant Vause opened my door once again, making me smile inside just a little bit. The building we went into had an open deck that all the tables sat in with a gazebo hanging over the tables and a bar towards the back. People were talking and standing around, enjoying the warm air as they drank their cool cocktails. As the hostess walked us to our table, everybody looked in my direction, not because of the way I looked but because of the two armed women escorting me. Reaching the table, Miss Vause pulls the chair out for me and I sit down.

"Hey guys, my name is Lorna and I will be taking care of you tonight. What can I start you guys off with?" A petite brunette with bright red lips asks us, her eyes lingering on Nichols.

I look between the two women across from me at the table, looking at their menus. "I will have your finest red wine, she will have a shot of your finest tequila, and she will have a beer." I said pointing to Vause and then Nichols.

"Ma'a-"

"No, Vause. You are officially off duty and you will enjoy your time." I said looking at the menu as if disinterested in her opinion.

"Vodka, not tequila." The brunette tells the waitress before looking down at her menu again. Thoughts run through my head as I realize she is finally going to let go, but not enough that she was giving into my command.

I look up to see Nichols looking between us, but before she even thinks about saying anything I shake my head just a tiny bit to singal her not to say it. When the waitress brought our drinks back, I saw Nichols eyes follow her every movement as if memorizing it. "Are you ready to order?" Her voice had a thick accent that didn't seem anywhere close to Hawaiian.

While we order I catch Vause downing her shot from the corner of my eye, not once wincing or anything. My eyes following the muscles in her neck, the tightness and strength as if it held the weight of the world. She sets the glass on the table lightly, ordering her food as she does so, my eyes never leaving her.

With our orders taken, the waitress heads back to the bar and kitchen area to give them to the cook. Nichols' eyes finally left her direction and looked at the table, neither of the women with me saying anything. A light tension sat on the table, things unsaid and things not done, causing a stale feeling to set in.

"I'm going to get another drink." Pushing away from the table, Vause stands up and heads across the room to the bar. Admittingly I hate to see her go but I love to watch her leave, it's the one time I get to appreciate her without her knowing. The way her hips sway the tiniest bit in her jeans and the way her shoulders show strength through her shirt.

"Ma'am, may I ask something?" Nichols said from across the table, setting her beer bottle back down and catching my attention as I lose sight of the brunette.

"You can _ask_." I smiled in her direction knowing that she hates when I do that.

"What is going on? Between you and Vause, I mean." She picks at the corner of the label on the bottle in her hands, worried that I may reprimand her.

"I don't know, Nichols." Shaking my head trying to figure out everything in my head, let alone what to tell her. "We've shared brief moments, but that's it and that's all it can ever be between us."

"May I speak freely, ma'am?" I nod in her direction because what the hell right? "We were given profiles on the other guards when we started the job and Vause is alone, ma'am." She clears her throat, trying to figure out how to word what she is trying to say as confusion crossed my face. "I'm not proud of using my access to look at her profile, but in her file there was no will, no kin, no marriage, and no family. She's alone and I think it's torture for her."

"Thank you, Nichols." I nod in her direction, finally seeing a new side of both of these women tonight. Nichols _cares_ for people in a way that I didn't think was in her personality and Vause as somebody who has nobody, all alone in the world.

Scooting my chair back, I stand before turning to Nichols. "I'm out of wine and I haven't seen our waitress, I'll be back." The wild-haired woman nods at me before watching me head towards the bar on the other side of the restaurant making sure the crowd didn't do anything.

Pushing past people gently as more bodies began to show up as the night aged, I finally reach the bar to try and flag down the bartender. "Margarita, please." I tell the older man behind the bar as he takes my twenty. Letting my eyes wander, I take in the beauty of the ocean from the view of the deck as the sun sets and orange streaks form in the sky and the warm sea breeze that blows into the restaurant.

A low yet bright laugh fills my ears and makes me turn around to see the Alex Vause standing next to a woman with red hair. I have never seen that smile on the brunette before, the kind where she is actually _letting go_. She had taken her hair out of its tight ponytail and it fell in waves around her face and shoulders, the woman with red hair playing with the tip of a strand of the dark brunette hair. Their bodies close in proximity that makes me feel fire immediately, my vision red on the edges. And in that specific moment it all clicks into place.

The other night at the club, I wasn't _in _danger. I never was in danger when she's around, she didn't want me to take that man to my hotel room. She didn't stop me because of the pitiful sex or losing money, but because she couldn't let me be with anybody else. She's trained to keep her cool in dangerous situations, to navigate through them better than the people she is protecting and there she was losing her cool.

I continue to watch intently as the red-head trailed her hand up and down the brunette's arm. Vause pulled her glasses to the top of her head as she continued to smile and laugh at whatever the woman in front of her was saying. Grabbing the margarita from the bar, I walk back to the table to see Nichols gone. Setting down my drink, I let my eyes wander along the room. I finally spot Nichols across the room next to our waitress, her hand on the shorter girl's hip as she said something to make her laugh.

Within ten minutes, another waitress came to the table this time she was taller with light brown hair pulled into a bun. "Is there anything I can get you?" Her voice happy and light compared to my mood.

"Actually, I made an order earlier but can I have it packed to take home?" I look up into her blue eyes, seeing only optimism in them.

"Of course." With that she took off towards the kitchen to take care of that for me.

**Alex:**

It was simple really, and I liked it simple with no feelings attached. She had been a girl at a bar and I had been, well another girl at that same bar. One thing lead to another and here we were in my hotel room with her naked on my bed and me almost naked.

Her hands trailed up my back, pulling at the skin there probably leaving marks along the way that would be gone by morning. I let my lips travel across her neck, biting lightly as if not to leave a mark as if this will never have happened. Moans pass through her lips and for the first time when being with a woman, I find annoyance in those sounds. Small fingers tangle in my hair to keep me in place as I lick and bite softly at her chest.

My mind wasn't there as I did this. Blonde hair and blue eyes flash in my mind, a laugh and a voice find their way into my ears, making me want to pull away. I focus on the skin below my fingers, the way the girl reacts to my touch, trying to rid my mind of these thoughts.

"Alex…" My name slipped past her lips and I feel a stone sink in my chest at hearing a slightly deeper voice. Closing my eyes tight, I pull away from her, not looking at her form on my bed.

"Listen, Sally-"

"It's Sylvie." Her voice short and sharpened at the wrong name.

"Sylvie, I'm sorry but you're going to have to go." I stand up from the bed, grabbing her shirt from the floor beside the bed. Confusion covered her features as I said this to her, her eyes scanning my face to see if there were any answers there.

"I thought this was going good?" She sits up, reaching for me as if to convince me to come back to what we were doing.

"It's not you, it's me." I handed her the clothes I had collected from around the room that belong to her. "I just can't tonight, I'm sorry. I am going to take a shower and when I get back, you're going to be gone alright?" I back away slowly from the bed entering the bathroom before closing the door with a soft click, locking it into place. Resting my head against the door, I feel the weight of the world sink back onto my shoulders causing me to sit on the ground behind the door. Soon enough, I hear the front hotel room door open and close signaling that she is gone.

"You look like shit." Nicky said to me as I sat down next to her in the hotel bar.

"Thanks, you don't look too bad yourself." I signal for a round from the man behind the counter, leaning against the edge of the bar to look at the wild-haired woman.

"Red rock your world?" She laughed, taking a sip of her beer while she continued to look at me.

"I wasn't even half naked when I told her to leave." The man behind the counter set a glass of bourbon down in front of me. "How'd Jersey go?"

"Let's just say we both learned things from the experience." A sly smirk covered her features, turning to look at me. "Now, tell me why you would kick a hot twenty-something out of your bed?"

I shook my head, taking a gulp out of my glass feeling the warmth of the liquor run down my throat, burning a passage to my stomach. "She was annoying." I tell her shrugging nonchalantly.

"So annoying girls stop you from getting your rocks off?"

Closing my eyes and taking a deep breath before I answer. "I don't know man, just didn't feel good, I guess." Taking another drink, I finish off my glass and signal for another.

"Sex doesn't feel good?"

"No, that's not what I am trying to say, Nichols." I look over at her, searching her eyes for answers to my questions that she knows nothing about.

"Then just spit it out because we don't have all night." She finishes her beer but signals for no more from the bartender.

"I kept thinking of somebody else. Everything was going fine, great actually until she said my name and I just froze and I felt… disappointed, I guess." I shake my head at the stupid thoughts running through my mind, trying to convince myself to stop thinking of the woman on my mind.

"Alright, listen to me Vause." She stood up from the chair at the bar, pushing it in. "There is a blonde upstairs waiting for you. What she wants, I have no idea but I know it involves you. This is our last fucking night in beautiful Hawaii before we have to go back to our lives in the shitty city and I for sure am going to make more memories with the time I have left." Her smile reaches her eyes as she pats my shoulder. "So I am going to leave because I still have Jersey up in my room waiting for me." With that she nods her head at me and leaves to go back to her room, a small hop in her step as she walks.

Running my fingers through my hair, I look at my drink and feel sick to my stomach at the burnt gold colored liquid in the glass. Sliding a twenty on the table towards the bartender, I stand from my chair pushing it in.

The elevator ride is slower than ever, small eternities passing me by as each floor passes. The dings as I pass each floor rings out throughout the elevator, as if the sound could be heard around the world. Elevator doors slide open on my floor and I feel a gravitational pull ahead of me, like a lasso leading me down the hall. I stop in front of the hotel door, taking deep breaths trying to gather my thoughts but as if on instinct my hand raises and knocks on the door.

Small, quiet footsteps approach the door and with the tiniest sounding creak, the hotel door was open and my breath was taken away. Blonde hair was sticking up slightly in every direction, light blue eyes looking up at me, and an old college t-shirt covers her body but stopping just above her knees. "Hey…"

"Hi." I thought I would hear a raspy type voice that was laced with sleep but instead I hear a frustrated tone.

"Can I come in, ma'am?" I ask with minor pleading in my eyes and with that she steps aside and lets me in.


	7. Chapter 7

**Hey guys, sorry that it took me so long to write this chapter. Its not exactly what I wanted for this chapter, but I also like it? Anyway I hope everybody is enjoying their holidays and I hope you enjoy this chapter. More action to come in the next chapters once I get time between work and family to write. Thank you all for being patient and I hope you stick with me :)**

**Chapter 7:**

When I opened the door I didn't expect the brunette to be standing there, looking down slightly at me from our height difference. The knock on the door woke me from my light sleep that had come after trying for hours to sleep but instead was filled with tossing and turning. As soon as I saw the beauty standing on the other side of my door, the exhaustion that resided in my bones vanished.

She stood there with her hair lightly tousled, black skinny jeans, white v-neck t-shirt from earlier and her glasses. "Hey…" I watch her eyes travel over me slightly, making me realize what I must look like.

"Hi." I feel my voice come out short and frustrated as images of the red-head and her from earlier ran through my mind.

"Can I come in, ma'am?" Her eyes hold an almost pleading emotion in them as she asks me this.

Stepping aside to let her in, I can get a faint smell of something unfamiliar. I watch as she slowly comes in and stands in the middle of my suite, waiting for me to make a move. Closing the door, I rest my head against the door trying to collect my nerves. "What do you want, Vause?" Turning around I finally catch her eye.

"I brought a girl back to my room." Her voice had no emotion behind her words and my body stiffens immediately when I realize the words she had spoken.

"Congratulations." It comes out short and angry, not how I intended it to come out.

Her left eyebrow raises at the tone of my voice, moving to lean against the dresser across the room from the bed. "We didn't do anything, not really." She crossed her arms in front of her chest, looking pointedly at me.

"Vause, what do you want? Because if you came in here to tell your _boss _about your sex life, I would suggest you leave. Now." My eyes track her movement as she fixes her glasses, smirking towards the floor.

"I could've had sex with her, I was ready to have sex with her but something- _someone_\- stopped me." She placed her glasses on top of her head, eyes still focused on the floor. "I don't know if it was the fact that her hair was red and that she was too short or the fact that she didn't put up a fight with herself to get into my bed, but I couldn't do it."

I felt my breathing still as she spoke, my feet taking me to stand across from her as her eyes followed my every move. My eyes travel all over her face to find the answers for the questions that were racing through my mind. "You see she _wanted_ me and I couldn't sleep with her." She took her glasses, closing them and setting them on the dresser behind her, running her hand through her hair. "And the craziest part of the whole thing is I am standing here in _your _hotel room right now." Our eyes met in the small amount of light shining in from the night sky outside my patio door.

Her eyes had a darker tint to them as they met mine, as if a secret was passing between us. She pushes against the dresser, walking towards me until she is standing right in front of me, looking down. "You didn't answer my question." I felt my voice betray me as I spoke to her, shaking without my permission.

My eyes follow her movements as her hand raises slowly, barely touching the skin on my cheek and tucking my hair behind my ear. "I want to fucking know why when I had somebody in my bed, _you_ were the only thing on my mind." Her eyes traced every feature on my face, the corners of her lips turning up slightly. I watched as her tongue came out and licked her lips as if all of a sudden her mouth went dry.

"Is that it?" I cross my arms, eyes still focusing on her lips as I say this, trying to gather all of my confidence.

It was as if my words lit a fire in her, reaching forward I feel her hands pulling at my neck to bring me to her. When our lips finally meet I want to say it was passionate but it was hot and heavy, the room falling silent to everything else around us.

Her hands tangling in my hair as she pulled me in closer to her, my hands unfolding from in front of me and grabbing onto her hips. I feel her blunt nails rake against the back of my head as her lips leave mine and make their way down my neck, leaving a trail of fire behind in its wake. "Vause…" My voice is weak as I say this, trembling under her touch.

Her hands leave my hair, making their way down my back and under my shirt to rest on my abdomen. Where her fingers brush against my skin, I feel little shockwaves run throughout my body and straight to my spine. As her teeth grazed my pulse point, her hands travel down my back and to the undersides of my thighs, signalling me to jump.

Wrapping my legs around her waist, I can feel the strong defined muscles in her shoulders as she pushes me on top of the dresser that she was leaning against earlier. The coldness of the wood against my legs causing goosebumps to rise as her hands found their way under my shirt, skirting along my abdomen. My arms wrapping around her neck and my hands running down her back, grabbing at her shirt. Rough fingertips run up my sides to my chest, running thumbs over my nipples causing me to lose any breath that was currently in my lungs. Pulling away slightly from her kisses on my clavicle, I see a smirk on her face with her eyes three shades darker than I have ever seen before.

My heart rate picked up speed as she pulled her hands away from my chest to the hem of my shirt waiting for me to lift my arms. Once my shirt was on the floor, I suddenly felt the urge to cover up. I had always been confident when being with another person, my body was one of the things I had been most confident about over the years- that was before raw scars littered my skin. I pull her flush against my body as my lips found hers once again, not wanting her to look at me longer than necessary. Her hands pressed into my back, fingers splayed to touch every inch of skin she could.

Pulling away to gather some air, her lips moved down the column of my neck once again but with a harsher bite to it, leaving what I would assume would be bright red marks by the morning. My one hand tangled in her hair while the other one rested on the hem of her shirt, trying to signal that it needed to leave her body now. The brunette pulled away from me, crossing her arms in front of her and pulling her white t-shirt over her head. For what felt like the first time I really saw the woman in front of me.

The moonlight shone off of her skin, dark shadows plagued the scars on her body from wounds she had endured. She smirked at me from just over a foot away from my body, she stepped farther back from me and sat on the bed. Leaning back on her hands behind her, smiling at me to see what I would do. Gathering all the courage I could, I pulled my arms away from the front of my body where I was covering myself. "Vause…" Placing my feet softly on the hardwood floors, I stand to my full height looking at her. Walking slowly over to her, placing both of my knees on either side of her hips. My hands trailing up her abdomen, feeling the slight twitch of the strong muscles there. "We can't."

My words seemed to spark another fire behind her eyes as they traveled the expanse of my face. Her hands moved to rest on my hips, roughly pulling me down so the tiniest bit of friction hits my core from her jeans. "Oh, but we can."

As if on instinct my hands rested on her shoulders, holding myself up on her as my eyes slammed shut at the feeling of her against me. My breathing begins to uneven as thoughts of rolling my hips to get that much needed friction fills my mind. She takes her right hand, trailing a single finger from one hip to the other just above the line of my panties. Shuddering, I dig my nails just the teeniest bit deeper into her shoulders, my head falling back. Her lips attach to the bottom of my neck as her hand slips down and trails against my center outside of my panties.

"And I think you _want _to, Piper." Her voice husks against my neck at this as if trying to hold back her own moan.

Reaching around her back, I pull at the clasp of her bra until it falls loose around her shoulders and I can pull it off and remove it from the equation. Using all of the strength I could find, I push on her shoulders to make her lie down on the bed, my hands cupping her breasts. I let my thumbs run over her nipples as her hands continue to rest at my hips, a death-like grip on them as if she let go I would disappear. For the first time this night my left thigh feels a ting of pain as cold hard metal pushes against it, realizing for the first time that her gun was still attached at the hip. My eyes trained on the weapon pushing into my inner thigh, I watch as she unclips it and sets it on the bedside stand.

Even when she was off duty she carried a gun with her, protecting me still in a way that made my heart beat just that much faster. Leaning down, I plant open mouthed kisses on her chest, my tongue darting out every once in a while to taste her. As my mouth gets closer to her one nipple, I feel her hips beginning to buck lightly into me. Grabbing hold of my wrists, she pushes her hips up and into me, causing me to fall to the side and allowing her to be on top.

Her hands pinning my wrists above my head as her lips kissed and bit their way down my neck to my very sensitive chest. Her tongue traced my nipple before closing her lips around it, biting softly causing my mouth to fall open. Her one hand continues to hold my wrists down as her other hand trails down my arm, my side, and to my hip where her thumb dips just below my panty line, teasing me.

**Alex:**

I feel the way her body reacts to me, the way her eyes and body betray her in trying to play it cool. The way she doesn't want to accept how good what I am doing feels or how her body shivers at the lightest touch of my fingers on her skin.

Letting my one hand move from her hip to just inside her panties, just allowing a ghost of a touch. Her hips squirm trying to get me to move closer to where she needs me, the heat pouring off of her skin. Feeling her legs wrap around my waist, forced my hand to brush against the bundle of nerves that she so desperately wants me to touch.

Trailing my lips and tongue down from her chest, down her stomach to where the top of her panties rested across her hips. Pulling back from her, I slide the thin material down her legs as I kissed the inside of her thighs, feeling her shiver against me. Her fingers thread through my hair, nails digging lightly into my scalp as I get closer to the apex of her thighs.

Moans fill the air and unlike earlier, these moans strike my nerve endings with electricity, making me want to hear them more and more. Moving her legs over my shoulders, I catch a glimpse of her hands gripping the sheets as if to stay grounded.

Taking my first lick I feel the muscles in her thighs tense and release, trying to move closer to my mouth. My arms under her legs with my hands on her thighs, I try my best to hold her in place as I lick from her entrance all the way to her clit. Feeling how wet she was, I knew it wouldn't take her long to fall over the edge.

"Alex…" And that was when I felt my body nerves freeze cold. It wasn't the fact that this was the first time I had heard her call me that or even the fact that I loved the way it sounded coming from her; no, it was the way that it sounded like she has been saying it in this exact way a million times before. Like she was used to my name falling off her lips in this amount of pleasure before.

Dragging my hand slowly up her thigh, I let my two fingers take over what my tongue was doing. Kissing my way back up her body, positioning myself over her so our mouths are by each other's ears. Pushing in for the first time, a deep gasp escaped her lips along with my name and I could feel the hair on the back of my neck stand up.

Her hands move from the sheets to under my arms and around my back, nails digging in, probably leaving little marks. Pulling out slowly, my eyes search her face to see her biting her bottom lip and eyes glazed over with pure lust. Pushing in fast and curling my fingers, she drags her hands down my back, leaving burning trails in its wake.

Setting a smooth pace, her hips begin to move in sync with my movements until her breathing reaches a point that signals she is close. Feeling her hips begin to buck up and off pace with me, her nails dig a little deeper into my shoulder blades. My name falling from her lips one last time in a husky voice I had never heard leave her mouth before.

Feeling the aftershocks begin to settle in her body, I move off of her and lay beside her on my side with my head supported by my hand. My fingers trailing on her skin, tracing the new scars on her skin. Watching her blue eyes sparkle from the night sky coming into the room from behind me, I lean in and kiss her again. This time our lips meet and it is soft and gentle in a way that makes me melt into it.

Pulling back for air, I see her eyes blink slowly showing that she is ready to finally sleep. "Will you stay here?" Her voice lost the husky lust tone it had earlier and was replaced with a soft tone.

"Yes, ma'am." My voice slips back into work mode slightly as I answer her.

"Alex, you were just between my legs, call me Piper." She rolled onto her side, laying her head on shoulder.

"Okay, Piper." Within minutes, I could hear her breathing even out and I knew she had fallen asleep. "What are you doing to me Piper?"


	8. Chapter 8

**Hey everybody, so this chapter is a little shorter than I wanted it to be but it sets up the next couple of chapters that I already have a plan for. So between my shifts at work and family functions, I will try to update this as soon as I can. Please enjoy :)**

**Chapter 8:**

Feeling heaviness in my eyelids, I stick my arm out to feel the cold sheets next to me. Opening my eyes finally to face the cold hard truth, my heart sinks in my chest seeing that Alex did indeed leave. Pushing myself up to a sitting position, a piece of paper rests lightly on the pillow that the brunette had used last night.

Piper-

My shift was about to begin, so unfortunately I had to leave, but I will see you at work.

-A

Sinking back into the bed, I let my mind wander back to the night before. Every touch seemed to light a new fire and every kiss seemed to hit a new nerve that shook me to my core. How gentle yet strong her movements were, meaning held behind them. Deep in thought, a loud knock against my door brought me back to reality. Grabbing the white shirt from the floor next to me, I walk slowly towards the door.

Opening the door, I see the brunette of my thoughts standing before me. Her hair pulled back in a tight ponytail, her suit fitting her stature nicely by complimenting all of the muscles in her frame. Her eyes holding a new look in them as they looked down at me slightly, a small smile playing at the corner of her lips. "Ma'am, your flight is scheduled to take off in an hour."

"Thank you, Vause." I nod in her direction, trying not to make too long of eye contact as I am wearing her shirt from the night previous.

Closing the door, I lean against it and run my hands through my hair trying to gather my thoughts. Pushing against the door, I move to start packing up my things for the flight home to the busy city I haven't missed and leaving behind everything I want.

Getting through security was easier this time than on the way out to Hawaii, getting us on the plane just that much sooner. Sitting in a plush chair with my legs tucked up under me, I look out the window the plane to see the clouds.

Feeling a shifting motion next to me, I turn to see Alex sitting next to me facing forward. Looking over to Nichols on the other side of the plane, her eyes shut and mouth open in what looked to be the middle of a deep sleep. Alex had seemed to shed her suit coat and had unbuttoned her sleeves and rolled them up to her elbows. "Ma'am."

Turning to look at her, my eyes trailed from her face down her neck where my eyes land on a small purpling mark just peeking out above her collar. "Vause." I could feel a smile playing at my lips, trying to keep the images of last night at bay. "I have a meeting after we land, so we will go straight from the airport back to my office. My assistant will drop the bags off at our respective houses."

"Yes, ma'am." Her eyes still faced forward, looking ahead of where she was sitting but I feel fingers ghost along my leg. My eyes travel down to see her hand skirting across my thigh, lightly tracing a pattern causing my mind to spin.

"You're testing dangerous waters, Vause." I try to hold confidence in my voice, but it comes out just above a whisper as my eyes went back to her face.

"What can I say ma'am? I got a taste and I liked it." A smirk covered her features as she pulled away from me. "We should be landing in a half hour." Pushing herself up, I watch as she walks back to a seat next to Nichols.

The rest of the flight felt like it took years, feeling Alex stealing glances at me the rest of the time making the hair stand up on the back of my neck. When we landed, I say quietly as I watched Alex and Nichols gather their things and prepare for me to get off the plane. Watching as both girls check their guns and settle their ear pieces back in, my heart beats a little faster as Alex throws me a wink as she places her handgun back into her thigh holster.

"Ma'am, we are ready when you are." Nichols spoke as she smiled in my direction.

As the door of the plane opens, I see a crowd forming around the tarmac near my vehicle. Nichols walks down the steps in front of me and Alex behind me, watching the crowd closely. Keeping my head down as we walk to tarmac, I feel the sun beat down on my shoulders.

Suddenly I feel a strong hand grab my arm, forcing me behind them when a loud noise rings out. From the corner of my eye I see the crowd around the tarmac take off running and screams fill the air. Turning my head I see Alex's body in front of mine, her arms pushing me forward as another loud noise rings out again. "Take her inside now!" Alex's husky voice rings out and I feel Nichols hands wrap around my upper arm as we take off running into the plane hangar that was nearest to us.

Collapsing as soon as we enter the hangar, the air burning my lungs as they begged for more air. "We need a team out here now! Active shooter!" Nichols yells into her radio, pulling me deeper into the hangar to find something for me to stay behind.

"Sending team out now. Three minutes out." A male voice speaks out of her earpiece that was hanging off her shoulder now.

Looking around me, I feel panic begin to sink in. "Vause, where's Vause?" My eyes travel everywhere around me, my heart beating heavy in my chest. Peaking back around the desk we were sitting behind, I look out from where we had just come from.

A limp body lying on the ground where we had just been, brunette hair splayed across the ground and I felt a scream leave my lungs. Before I knew what was happening, I felt strong arms wrap around me, holding me against a body as tears blurred my vision. "Ma'am, we have to leave her." Nichols speaks calmly in my ear, her voice holding its own strong emotion. "We have to wait until they clear the area, I'm sorry."

My body going limp, I feel the tears stream down my cheeks as every emotion leaves my body until I feel nothing. It felt like hours before we heard a call coming through Nichols' phone, catching us both off guard. Letting go of me from around the waist, she holds my hand as she answers the call. "Nichols."

Looking at me as she listened closely, her hand pulls away from mine so she could stand. "Ma'am, the area is cleared. I am going to take you to a safehouse we have established in case of an emergency like this." As soon as the word _cleared_ left her lips, my whole body took off out of the hangar before she could catch me.

My lungs burned as I fell down next to Alex's body, hands covering my mouth as a new wave of tears started to flow. Blood seeped from her leg and shoulder, pooling into one large area as the color drained from her face. "Alex…" My hands go from my mouth to holding her, wrapping my body around hers so she was laying in my lap. "You have to stay with me." My voice trembling as I see the light leaving her eyes as she looked over every feature of my face. "I need help over here!" I screamed out to anybody who could hear me.

"Piper-"

"Shhh, don't say anything. We are going to get you some help, but you have to stay awake okay." My hand on the side of her face, my thumb rubbing her cheek, leaving a blood streak behind it.

As I continued to hold her, men rushed around me quickly trying to pull me away from her. Strong arms wrapped around me, pulling her from Alex's body as they lifted her onto a gurney. Pushing gauze and an air mask on her face, I see her eyes finally close.

"Alex-"

"Ma'am, we have to move her now if she wants to have a chance." A man with a gruff voice said to me as I watched them strap her into the gurney to secure her. "We're taking her to New York Pres, you can meet her there."

Reaching out to touch her, her eyes open one more time as she tries to say something. One of the men remove the oxygen mask from her face, her eyes never leaving me. "Thank you." And with those words leaving her mouth, her eyes close one again.

"She's coding, we need to go now." The man next to me said, beginning to push her towards the ambulance.

So there I stood, less than 24 hours since I had her body wrapped around me and now I stood in my clothes soaked in her blood as she left me behind.


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey guys, so I know the last chapter felt rushed which I completely agree with. I haven't had as much time to just sit and write like I usually do but I hope this chapter makes up for it. I may later go back and add more to the last chapter to make it not feel so sporadic but for right now it is staying the way it is. Anyway, everybody have a great New Year's Eve and I will try to update as soon as I can :) Enjoy**

**Chapter 9:**

I always have hated hospitals, they smell like bleach, they are too bright and people always die here. A cool chill hung over my body as I continued to wear blood-damped clothes. _One, two, three, four. _I count the steps it takes me to walk from one end of the private waiting room to the other.

"Ma'am, we really need to get you to the safehouse." Nichols has been saying this sentence over and over again for the last few hours, knowing I am not going to change my mind. _One, two, three, four. _"I can let you know when we hear anything, as soon as we hear anything." As if repeating the same sentences to me every ten minutes will help.

"I'm not leaving until I hear something." My voice left in barely a whisper in her direction. _One, two, three, four, five. Wait… That was too many steps. _Looking from the spot where I am now to the other side of the room, my mind ponders why it took me one more step this time.

"Ma'am, you are going to leave a worn down mark in the carpet. Please, at least sit down." My eyes turn up to the man that had taken Alex's place after the incident. He was tall, military build but had a sharper feel to his stature with buzz cut hair and deep brown eyes.

"I'm fine." _One, two, three, four. Better. _

Stacks of empty coffee cups began to grow on the end tables by the chairs as time went on, neither of my guards wanting to leave my side. The sun had long disappeared behind the horizon as I finally found myself sitting on the ground with my back against the wall. "Vause?"

My eyes snapped up to see a petite woman wearing light blue scrubs, hair tucked under a scrub cap and light green eyes. "Vause?" Her voice spoke out again as I felt gravity pull me to my feet and towards her.

"How is she?" My voice weak from exhaustion.

"She is in surgical ICU at the moment, we have her under sedation for the time being to help her from feeling some of the pain." The doctor said to me as her eyes searched my features for a reaction.

"Will she be okay?"

"Miss, why don't we sit down." She leads me gently to a waiting room chair as she sits next to me. "Miss Vause took two bullets, one in her shoulder and one in her leg. The one in her shoulder went through and through, meaning we just had to do some clean up and sew her up. The leg was the one we had the bigger problem with." She took a deep breath looking to gauge my reaction. "The bullet hit her femur causing a comminuted fracture, meaning her bone broke into a few different pieces. So we had to feed a rod down the femoral canal and screw it in place for it to heal."

My head started to spin as she kept speaking to me, thoughts racing a mile a minute. "But what does that mean?"

"It means that if she makes it through the night with no fat embolisms or blood clots, she can pull through. After that, we worry about infection which is slightly easier to manage than the other risks." I could read empathy on her face as she says this to me.

"If she makes it through the night…"

"If she makes it through the night she should be on the up and up." As these words leave her mouth, I felt the tears begin to fall and run down my cheeks.

"Can I see her?"

"Ma'am, we really need to take you to the safehouse." The new male guard says from beside me, looking at me with no sympathy on his face.

"Can I see her?" I look back at the doctor with a pleading look in my eyes.

"You will have to wear protection for her sake and only for a few minutes, you both have had a long day." The doctor spoke as she stood and led me down the hall, my guards in tow.

After putting on a yellow gown, medical hairnet, gloves and a mask, I was finally allowed in the room. I felt myself gasp when my eyes finally landed on her. Tubes and wires stuck out in every direction, machines beeping in the background as her chest moved faintly. "Alex, what did you do?"

I move to sit next to her, pushing a lock of hair from in front of her face to behind her ear the best I could with the intubation tubing coming from her mouth. The blood had all been wiped away from earlier except for what little was still left in her hair. Grabbing ahold of her hand, I rest it against my cheek, feeling the warmth from it.

That is how I spent my ten minutes alone with her, holding her hand with a tight grip against my cheek as I watched the rise and fall of her chest. Too soon for my liking, I heard a tapping on the window that surrounded her room, the male guard pointing at his watch. "Asshole." I whisper as I stand from my chair.

Leaning over her, I pull my hair over my shoulder and lean down to her ear. "I have no idea if you can hear me, but you better fucking be alive when I come back tomorrow or so help me God…" I stop before I let any tears begin to fall at the thought of her not being here when I get back. Pulling away from her ear, I look at her neck and let my finger lightly trace the mark I had left from the night before.

"Ma'am, we really need to leave." Nichols stuck her head in through the glass door, sympathy written all over her face.

"I'm coming…" Pulling my hand away, I follow the crazy-haired woman out of the room.

"Ma'am I suggest trying to sleep." Nichols was stationed inside my room at the safehouse, her back to the door as she spoke. Her eyes were softer than her usual persona as the days events weighed heavily on her also.

Sitting on the bed, playing with my fingers as I looked at the ground. "I just can't believe it…" My voice spoke in soft tones, too soft for anybody to hear.

"Ma'am, maybe try taking those clothes off. I am sure somebody would be willing to throw them away for you." Her brown eyes looked at me softly, trying to convey as much emotion as they can. "Ma'am-"

"Goddamnit! It's Piper! We almost died together!" My eyes snapped up to her face with anger in them, heat rising up my neck and to my face. Her expression remained solid, but I could tell that she too was beginning to crack down.

Watching as she took a deep breath, she set her gun down against the wall before coming and sitting next to me. "Piper, can I talk freely?" Her hand resting on my knee as her eyes searched mine looking for answers to questions she held. Giving her a small nod, she continues on. "Sitting here in clothes that are soaked in her blood with tear stained makeup over your face, isn't going to help her make it through the night."

"It just would feel wrong to wash her away, like what happened meant nothing." The words I spoke meant more than just the blood stained onto my skin. I hadn't showered since before me and Alex spent the night together. Her touch still lingered on my skin, her kisses still indented into my nerve endings.

Looking back at the ground, I feel her hand leave my knee as her whole arm wraps around my shoulder and in that instant it felt right. "We were together, Nicky. Less than fourteen hours before she was shot. How can that just happen?"

"It was less than fifteen hours that we were drinking in the hotel bar together." I looked at the woman next to me, seeing her eyes glued to the floor. "She wouldn't want you sitting here, soaked in her blood. Vause would want you to take care of yourself because she can't look after you." Her arm falling from my shoulders, shifting slightly in her spot on the bed.

"She's going to make it, right?" My voice trembling once again but no tears fell as they had dried up.

"She has to." Nicky said, turning to look me in the eyes. "You finally got her in your bed, she can't just leave after only one time." A small chuckle leaves both of us at this statement.

"I'm sorry you have had to hear that." I wince at the thought of her hearing me on those nights when I couldn't help myself, the nights the brunette plagued my mind like a virus.

"It's alright, I brought ear plugs after the second night." A contagious laugh rolls through both of us as she bumps her shoulder against mine, as if signaling that everything will be okay. "Listen, you are going to get up, going into that bathroom and you are going to shower. When you come back you are going to lay in this bed and get some sleep, okay?"

Nicky in some twisted way was right that showering was going to help me. It was hard watching the stained blood wash from my body and down the drain but the warmth from the spray helped. Stepping out of the shower, my eyes look into the mirror and I could see for the first time all the little marks on my neck and chest. They were all perfect little marks, scattered in a way that reminded me of the trail her lips took down my body.

The burning feeling of tears hit again as I let my fingers trace the marks, remembering the way she left them. Wiping away the tears, I step out of the bathroom to see the bedroom empty, allowing me to put on a shirt and underwear. I crawl into bed and stare at the ceiling, not having the feeling of sleep wanting to take over yet. "Nichols!" I yelled as I lay on my back and continue to look at the ceiling.

"Ma'am?! Is everything okay?" Her voice rushed as the door flew open.

"Will you stay in here tonight? Just stand there instead of outside?" Her muscles began to settle as she realized there was no threat.

"Sure thing."

"So, we weaned her off of the sedative but what happens next is really up to her." The new male doctor spoke in a soft voice, as if talking any louder would break me.

Looking into her room, I could still see her chest rising and falling faintly. The wires and tubes coming out of her in every direction looked more harsh in the daylight as if it was more real than before. "Thank you." The words pass my lips hesitantly as I step away from the doctor and begin my descent into her room.

The lights in the room made her skin look even more like porcelain than before, her hair laying around her shoulders with just a little bit of crustiness from the left over blood, and her face looking as peaceful as Piper has been allowed to see it. Sitting down in the hard plastic and metal chair next to the bed, I felt the familiar burning of tears begin but never felt them fall over the brink.

My eyes trailed over every inch of her that I could, memorizing everything to the best of my knowledge. How her leg was held up and braced with metal torture device looking system, how the tattoos that I had discovered a night prior were more detailed than I orginally thought, and how her chest seemed so faint yet so steady in it's movement. Holding onto her hand, I could feel the warmth spread from her to me, bringing me faith in her to pull through.

"Please come back to me." The words came out barely above a whisper, too afraid that if I spoke any louder she would pull away.

I could feel the pulse in her wrist, strong and steady. Everything seemed like it was okay, besides the whole leg in a death contraption, the only thing not okay was she was still not awake. Her eyes were closed and I want to see how green they are and how they show the emotions she is feeling even if her face doesn't.

A feeling of panic began to set in at the thought of never hearing her husky voice or seeing those green eyes again. The feeling settling deep in my chest as if somebody's hand was wrapped around my heart and was squeezing. That was when I felt the burning tears finally fall over the brink, dropping onto her hand as I held it against my face like me holding her like this could pull her out of her slumber.

"Please…" This was all I could form between sobs as they left my chest. I knew Nichols and the other guard could see me crying over Alex but it didn't matter to me.

After the tears finally dried and the panic lessened, I found myself laying my head on the side of her hospital bed. Exhaustion completely taking over my body as I let my eyes drift close, the burning subsiding behind my eyelids.

It wasn't long before I felt someone touch my shoulder, waking me up from my slumber against Alex's arm. I look up to see Nichols, eyes soft as she held her employee cell phone out to me, a sad smile playing on her lips. "Hello?" My voice thick from sleep.

"Piper, its Polly." My friend's voice rang out into my ear, making me realize how hollow I felt.

"What do you need, Polly?"

"You need to address the events that happened yesterday. People at work are going crazy and we don't want this getting out of control before we can stop it from spiraling." Her voice holding a business like tone with me, sparking an anger I hadn't been feeling before.

"Not now, Pol." My voice short and bitter towards her on the phone.

"Pipes, I'm just doing my job." Her voice softening slightly. "Please, just come in to work tomorrow."

"Polly, I can't." My voice dejected as the words left me.

"Why not?" I could hear her typing something in the background, the light clicks striking more nerves of mine.

"She isn't awake." This came out in a sigh, my shoulders sagging. "I can't leave until she is awake." My eyes traveled back to the brunette, my heart sinking at the sight of her looking so helpless.

"Piper, it would be days before she wakes up." Hearing this was like taking a punch to the stomach. I knew there was the possibility of that, but I never admitted to the fact that it could be days before she opened those striking green eyes.

Silence sat on the phone like a thick fog, neither of us saying anything to the other. "The meeting is at one tomorrow, be there please." Polly's voice was stern, expressing the finality of it. The phone call ended before I had a chance to say anything.

The thought of leaving Alex's side made me feel sick, like grab the wall and try not to throw up kind of sick. I had spent not even two weeks with the woman lying in this hospital bed but it was enough time to know how she affected me life this.

The sun had already set, telling me that it was already in the late evening. Unsure of how much time I had actually spent here, I get up and feel every muscle tight in my body for being in one position for most of the day. Leaning over Alex, I play with a strand of her hair before putting it behind her ear and running my fingers down her cheek. "I'm going to go home to shower and hopefully get more sleep. You better be alive when I get back here tomorrow." Unsure of why I said it, other than the fact it felt like a sliver of weight lifted off my shoulders when the words left my mouth.

Stepping back from the hospital bed, getting one last good look at the woman in front of me, I walk towards the hospital room door, willing myself not to look back because I know if I did, I wouldn't be able to leave.


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey guys! Thank you all for being so patient for this update, it means a lot that you are all hanging with the story. By the way, does anybody ever wish there was a strong lesbian like Alex that just comes into your life and sweeps you off your feet? Because I am really feeling that vibe. Anyway, enjoy this chapter as I am finally home from my trip and will have time now for two days to write more chapters. Thank you! Enjoy :)**

**Chapter 10:**

"The events over the last few days have been tragic and shocking. On Wednesday this last week there was an attempted assassination on my life, but instead others were hurt. A guard in my protection along with a few other civilians gathered at the private airport were injured. Luckily nobody was killed, but these individuals are affected and will continue to be affected their whole lives." I take a deep breath, trying to gather my thoughts and make the room stop spinning as the words left my mouth.

The conference that Polly had set up was packed to the brim with people in the room, cameras flashing and reporters yelling for answers to their questions. Everything felt surreal, like it was an angry dream that I would wake up from and Alex would be there waiting for me to start my day.

"This attack had come very shortly after my announcement of my running for the U.S. Senate in the following years to come. After careful consideration and advisement, my run for U.S. Senate will continue on the path I have set. With this being said, more precaution and security plans will be put into place to protect me and those around me." Shifting the papers in front of me on the podium, I clear my throat once again. "I will not be taking any questions at this time; a future press briefing will take place in the days to come. Thank you." With that I grab the papers and walk the short distance to the back room of the conference center that has been converted into a private area.

Sitting down in the chair in front of my desk with a mirror in front of me, I could see for the first time how worn down I really look. The makeup under the harsh lights looked caked on, making the exhaustion under it show through. Running my hands through my hair, I feel the stress from the last two days settle back into my chest like a stone, sinking until it had nowhere else to go.

The last twelve hours had been miserable. I was shipped from one place to another explaining what had happened and where to go from there. Initially, I wanted to step out of the limelight by withdrawing from everything around me. Close the curtains and hide under blankets until I could wake up to a morning where none of this was happening.

"Piper?" My head snaps towards the voice, seeing Polly standing there in the doorway with a sympathetic look in her face.

"What do you want?" My voice was shorter than I intended, making me cringe at my own words.

"Jimmy is ready out front." She approached me slowly, searching my face for any reactions I may have. "I'm sorry about all of this Piper, I really am." Before I knew that she was so close to me, I felt her hand rubbing my shoulder.

"Pol, I don't want to do this anymore if people are going to keep getting hurt. It's not worth it." My head dropping to look at my hands playing with each other, thinking of the woman in a hospital across town. The weight of those words has been sitting on my shoulders for days and I finally felt the tiniest sliver of freedom at saying them.

"Piper…" I watched her as she moved a chair that was against the wall in front of me for her to sit on. "I understand that you are feeling that way, okay? But you fight for the people, you want them to be treated equally and fairly. The government needs somebody like you to change things up, we need you to change things up." Her eyes searching my blue ones to figure out what I am thinking without needing to ask.

"Polly, in the last month me and people I care about have gotten hurt because of my position in power." I stood up, pushing my chair back into the desk I was sitting at a moment ago. "I just don't feel like it's worth it anymore."

Walking out of the side room, I feel Nichols and the other guard step into line behind me as I walk out to the car. Opening the car door, I freeze feeling a sadness wash over me like a wave knowing that Alex would've done this for me before. "Ma'am?" Nichols' voice rings out causing me to snap out of my thoughts and get into the car.

"To the New York Pres hospital, please Jimmy." Leaning my cheek against the palm of my hand, I look out the window as the surroundings begin to blur past the vehicle.

The ride was longer than I wanted it to be, minutes passing by like hours and my exhaustion finally hitting me as the calm motion of the car washes over my body. The quiet hum of the engine causing me to close my eyes, worry finally slipping from my shoulders for the time being as the world fades around me. For what felt like the first time in my life, I was grateful for the pitch black behind my eyelids, not a single dream coming to me.

It wasn't long before I felt the vehicle slow to a stop, waking me from my slumber in the back seat. The sun felt amazing as the heat from it hit the back of my shirt as I walked into the hospital, the chemically bleach smell hitting my nostrils immediately. The walk to Alex's room was memorized in my head; up the first flight of stairs in the main entrance, turn left and go down the walkway to the surgical wing, take a right and knock on the glass window for the nurses to see me to let me into the ICU and then the third room down on the right. _Wait…_

"Where is she?" Panic evident in my voice as a steel trap wound its way around my heart. "Where is Alex?" I ran to the nurse's station across the hall, my eyes searching everywhere to find the brunette.

"Ma'am, I need you to calm down. What is the matter?" An older nurse sitting behind a computer asks me.

"Alex Vause, she was here yesterday. Where is she?" My fingers tapping on the counter in front of me, anxiously awaiting an answer.

"Let me look." The nurse turned her attention to the computer screen in front of her, typing something. "Vause…" Typing something again, each click striking a nerve in me. "Looks like she got moved from ICU little over an hour ago. Room S314, so up one more floor and down the hallway to the left." She said this as she pointed back through the doors, but my mind was already on the next steps.

"Thank you." My voice rushed as I felt my body taking off down the hall to the elevator.

Pushing the 'UP' button until the doors finally opened, I step in and stand next to an older woman who looked at me with curious eyes. The ride in the elevator took a small eternity as it moved slowly up one floor, the doors opening at a snail's pace.

Turning down the hallway, I feel myself counting off the numbers. _S311…S312…S313…S314! _Pushing the large wooden door open, my nerves began to spark in anxiety to what was waiting behind the door.

"You look like shit." A husky and rough voice spoke as I turned the corner past the bathroom in the room. Sitting up in bed, hair parted and over each shoulder, her eyes sparkling in the sunlight coming in through the window.

"You're awake." My voice barely above a whisper as if I could wake up from this dream if I spoke too loudly.

"That I am." Adjusting the glasses on her face, I watched as a small smile crossed her face.

Moving to sit in the chair next to her, I feel her eyes on me, looking me over to make sure I was okay. "How are you feeling?"

"Pretty good, they have me loaded with some pretty nice painkillers." She moved her glasses from her face to the top of her head, green eyes still looking me over. "Where are your guards?" Her eyes suddenly moving around the room, looking for the armored guards that surround me all the time.

"Somewhere in the hospital, probably trying to figure out where I went." I felt a small laugh leave my chest at seeing her concern. "I'm safe." My eyes watched as her face fell at my words, an emotion crossing her features that I couldn't decipher.

"Miss Vause…" A male doctor walked into her room, a short crew cut, and deep brown eyes made the man seem like military background almost. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize you would have visitors so soon." His voice deep and dry as he spoke to us. "I wanted to speak to Miss Vause for a moment, if that is okay?"

"She can stay." Alex's voice spoke out, rough from not using it in a few days.

"Okay, well your vitals all look great. The x-rays we took earlier already show some bone growth around the break, which is a great sign." His eyes traveled over the page on the clipboard as he continued to speak. "I am going to have a nurse come in here in a little bit to get you up and moving. We wanted you to get up on that leg as soon as possible but it took you a little while to wake up. So, if everything looks good during that, you should only need a few more days here until you should be able to do most exercises at home." He set the clipboard under his arm before he finished. "Physical therapy will be required but it really shouldn't be too bad if you follow the plan. You could be back to your old self in six weeks or so."

A tight lip smile covered his face as he said this, his features showing no real emotion. I could see Alex shift uncomfortably on the hospital bed next to me at his words. "Six weeks? But I need to get back to work." Her voice held an almost pleading tone as she looked at him, avoiding looking at me.

"Well, as a rule of thumb I always say that if you can climb a flight of stairs up and down without needing support or a break, you can go back to work as normal." He moved a few steps closer to the door as he said this. "Don't push it, Miss Vause. You need your leg and the best thing is to make sure it heals correctly." With that he walked out of the door, his presence not missed.

I could see the worry on Alex's features as the information churned in her brain. My fingers lacing with hers on top of the hospital bed, looking into her green eyes that seemed to be far off in the distance. "If you keep all those thoughts in, you just explode." A small chuckle passed her lips as she finally made eye contact with me, showing me, she was back in the room with me. "And to be honest, I just started to get used to you. It would be a pain in the ass to train somebody else at this point."

"Ma'am you can't just take off like that." The male guard who had taken Alex's place the last few days spoke as he entered her room. His face was slightly red in what seemed to be frustration, eyes searching the room for weaknesses.

"Bennett, she is safe with me here." Alex spoke with her hoarse voice, a sternness in it that I haven't heard before.

"Vause, you have no form of protection here. It is best that at least one of us is with her at all times."

"I can protect her just fine." Alex shared a look with the male guard that seemed to read finality of her words.

"Bennett, I am safe here. Please stand guard outside."

I watched as he looked over Alex one last time before walking out of the room to stand outside the door and keep watch. Silence filled the room as I pulled out my phone from my back pocket to catch up on the news going around. "He's right, you know." My eyes snapping up from my phone screen to see Alex sitting in the bed with her head against the pillow and her eyes closed.

"Alex…"

"No, I can't protect you. At least not when I am in here." Her eyes finally opened and looked into mine, searching for something. "I can't even stand up on my own yet, let alone have any of my weapons with me. It isn't safe for you here." Her face was stern, but her eyes were holding a sharp emotion that I wasn't exactly sure I had seen before.

"I have Bennett and Nichols with me twenty-four seven and that way you are safe too. At least when I am here." My eyes going back to my phone, not wanting to hear her arguments anymore.

"Piper…"

"Okay, Miss Vause. It's time to get you up and moving." A short nurse with dark brown eyes and wavy hair in a ponytail spoke. "My name is Rachel and I am the nurse that will help you get up and moving so we can get you home."

I watched as Alex's eyes traveled over the brunette nurse, a smile crossing her face as the nurse helped her to sit up on the edge of the bed. My eyes traveled down Alex's form as the nurse helped her stand up. "Those are the underwear you chose?" A laugh bubbling up from my chest at the polka dot underwear that most pre-teens wore.

"I ran out of clean underwear, it's all I had left before the trip." A redness creeping up her neck to her cheeks as I continued to laugh. Grabbing the back of her hospital gown, the nurse tied another knot in the gown, so Alex's ass wasn't hanging out in the open anymore.

"How do you feel, Alex?" The nurse asked as she continued to hold onto her around the waist.

"Good, it hurts but good." She grunts out as if it is taking all her effort to talk.

"Well, why don't we get you walking a little bit." The nurse moved so her arm was around her waist and Alex's arm was around her shoulder, placing most of her weight on the woman.

They took slow and small steps, Alex's face wincing every time too much pressure was put on her bad leg. I watched as they moved slowly down the hallway of the hospital, Alex running out of breath after every move. By the time they made it to the end of the hall, I could see the exhaustion on Alex's face.

"Ma'am would you come down here?" The nurse waved me over in their direction as she said this. "I am going to get her a wheelchair, so she doesn't have to walk all the way back, but I need you to help support her while I do that." I nod my head, slowly taking her place by wrapping my arm around her waist and her arm over my shoulders.

Once situated the nurse walked down the hallway and down into another room that I assumed had the wheelchairs in it. "You don't have to do this." Alex's breath hit my neck and cheek as she said this.

"I know." Taking my other hand, I pull some of the hair that had fallen in front of her face and put it behind her ear. "I want to."

"Okay, Alex. Take a seat." The nurse said as she moved the wheelchair beside the brunette, relieving the pressure of her off of me. As the nurse pushed her down the hallway, she began to speak to both of us. "We need you to get up and walk like that every hour or two for the next day or so before we can give you more intense exercises. I can come back in and help or if you want to help her you can." Arriving in Alex's hospital room again, picking up the clipboard to read over it. "And feel free to take her to the cafeteria or outside, just don't steal her until we discharge her." With that the nurse set the clipboard on the end of her bed before walking out of the room with a smile on her face.

Alex sat in her wheelchair; leg propped up with her elbows resting on the arms of the wheelchair. "Come on, let's get you some fresh air." I pulled on the handles of her wheelchair, moving her carefully out of the room and down the hall to the elevator.

Nichols and Bennett came along, several feet behind us to give us space but close enough to keep an eye on us. The nice evening air hit my face and I could feel all the stress from the last couple days wash away with the breeze. Moving her next to a bench outside, I sat down next to her, looking at the different people coming and leaving the hospital.

"They said you were here when I was out." Alex spoke as she leaned her head back, taking in the fresh air around her, the sun shining beautifully off her skin. "Why?"

Looking over her facial features, I could see the emotions she felt the last few days wipe away and see a hint of relaxation replace it. "You saved me; I wasn't just going to leave you alone." I could feel the fakeness of my words as they passed my lips, making me cringe inwardly.

"I'm paid to save you, but you aren't paid to stay." Her head lolling to the side so she could look at me in the eyes. "Why are you here, Piper?" She lifted the glasses from her nose to the top of her head, her eyes searching all over my face.

Taking her hand in mine, I let us sit in silence and let the words of the moment wash over us before the hard truth has to come forward. My eyes look at the ground, but I can still feel her eyes looking at my face, observing every millimeter. "You mean more to me than you should, more than is appropriate." My eyes still not looking at her, trying to keep my thoughts in line. "What I feel for you is different than I have ever felt about anybody else before, and it scares the shit out of me, but I can't help how I feel." My eyes finally travel back up to hers, looking for any sort of reaction.

She lifts her head and stares out in the distance, watching people coming and going from the hospital once again. A rock sitting in my stomach at the idea of her holding that information I had just given her and not saying anything back. Her hand still holding onto mine, thumb rubbing small circles over my knuckles.

"Me too, Piper. Me too."


	11. Chapter 11

**Hey guys! So here is the next chapter, I am not exactly sure where I was headed with this but this is what happened and I kind of like it :) College started again this week so it could be a little while until I get a another full chapter written since I am taking all science classes for my majors. Anyway, I hope everybody is having a great start to the new year, I hope you all are finding happiness and love!**

**Enjoy :)**

**Chapter 11: **

"So how was it?"

"It hurt and it still hurts, don't get shot in your femur." I laugh slightly at Nichols who was standing inside the door in a relaxed position.

"No, idiot." Her wild hair moved slightly in the direction of the blonde curled up in a ball on the recliner next to my bed. "How was she?" She accentuated what she was trying to say with a wink.

"You realize she is your boss, right?" I look over to see Piper deep in sleep, her faint breath moving a piece of hair that had fallen in front of her face. I could feel a small smile pull at my lips, but I cough trying to diffuse it before Nichols could see.

"She's your boss too, Vause." This had to be the most relaxed I had seen either of the women in the room in the longest time.

"Yeah, but I slept with her so I can ask the awkward questions." Piper moved slightly in the chair, my arm shooting out quickly from the bed to make sure she didn't move to the point of falling off. "And it was pretty good."

"Pretty good? That's all I get?" Nichols laughed slightly, her guard down for what felt like the first time since the shooting.

I finally settled back into bed after making sure that Piper wasn't going to roll off the edge of the chair. She hadn't left for more than a few hours when she absolutely needed to and to be honest, I was grateful for not having to be alone. The last couple of days she has been making me get up and walk around every hour and I had never felt pain like I have at those times. It was almost blinding at how bad it hurts sometimes when I put pressure at the wrong angle, my weight going out from under me and Piper having to catch me before I fell.

This was my last night in the hospital before they were moving me to a short-term intensive rehabilitation clinic. Originally they were going to send me home, but upon finding out that I live alone and that nobody would be there to help or make sure I was doing my exercises, they decided I needed to stay. So tomorrow I moved to another building where they are basically going to help me learn how to use my leg again, which seems ridiculous to me. My leg had been fine six days ago and now I lay here, barely able to move unless somebody was there to catch me incase I fall.

"Excuse me, visiting hours are over." A small blonde, perky nurse said as she poked her head past the large wooden door. Her eyes traveled over to Piper sleeping in the recliner, realizing the situation. "We can bring in a cot?"

"No, it's okay. She needs to go home and shower." I spoke on behalf of Piper even though I am sure that she would've slept on a cot next to me. "I'll wake her up." I say, getting the nurse to leave the room once more.

"Pipes, you have to wake up." I reach out and rub her shoulder, trying to gently wake her.

"Hmm?" Her voice thick with sleep, sleep that I am sure she hasn't gotten in the last week.

"Visiting hours are over, you should go home and clean up or whatever will help." I give her a soft smile, her eyes still a little blurry from sleep. Her hair was a mess, sticking up slightly in the back where her head had been resting against the arm of the chair.

"Okay, but I will be here for when they move you tomorrow." I can see an internal struggle in those blue eyes as she searches my face for emotion.

I watch as she gathers her jacket and bag that she had brought with her, a slow pace to everything she is doing. When she finally has all of her things, she moves towards my bed, her hand reaching out to touch me but pulling back before it touches me. "Get some sleep okay? Big day tomorrow." She gives me a small smile, emotions running through those light blue eyes that I have no understanding of.

"You too." I barely get the words out before she is gone from the room.

My back hits the back of the bed, hard and uncomfortable compared to that expensive bed in Hawaii that I got to use. I lay there as my mind drifts to sleep for the first time, knowing that Piper is in safe hands and away from me. A dark black curtain takes over my vision as the tension from the day finally settles on my chest, succumbing to the exhaustion.

_A loud bang rang out in the distance and I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck stand up instantly. My arm extending immediately to the person beside me, pulling them behind me. Another round of that sound rang out in the air, but this time followed by a gasping that I could feel against the back of my neck. _

_Turning my head just the slightest I could see blonde hair flying, blue eyes searching with a panic. I pull her closer to my body, pushing her to run with me but feel her dragging behind me as if not wanting to follow. _

_Only then did my eyes catch the red flowing from her abdomen, soaking the shirt she wore to a crimson I had never seen before. Before I could react, another loud bang had sounded and a new red patch formed just to the right of the middle of her chest. Her blue eyes met mine and I could see the light fading fast, flickering in a way that made the world fall dark. _

_Grabbing the woman by her waist, I pull her towards what looked to be safe for us, a safe haven one would say. Carrying most of her weight, I heard another bang ring out and suddenly a pain that flashed bright white struck my leg. I immediately feel us fall to the ground, me making sure to break her fall. _

_Feeling the pain in my leg, I feel the adrenaline pumping through my veins but not strong enough to carry on. I look down at the woman and the light is almost completely faded from her eyes, her skin as white as a sheet as I feel the strength of her hold on my arm loosen. Laying my body protectively over hers as if it could bring her back to life, our blood mixing together in a way that brought an almost comfortable warmth. Like wrapping yourself in a blanket when you were done playing out in the snow, a warmth that started in your bones. "I'm so sorry, Piper."_

Jolting awake I feel the strongest pain I have felt yet in my leg, the stitches searing my skin in a way that you could almost smell the smoke. Throwing the blankets aside, I see the gauze and wrapping just the way it was left earlier when I fell asleep.

Laying back down, I begin to count the tiles on the ceiling, trying to pass the time until sleep once again came. But sleep never came. It eluded me for the rest of the night as the sun rose over the horizon and into my hospital room.

"Alright, Alex! Who is ready to get moving to your new home for the next ten days?" Rachel said as she entered the room, wheelchair in front of her. "Well somebody looks like they didn't sleep at all last night." She said this as she parked the wheelchair short of my bed, reaching to touch my face.

"I'm okay, I just want to get out of here." I pull away from her touch, almost instinctively looking at the door to see if a blonde would walk through.

"Okay, then let's get you moving." Rachel gave me the softest of smiles, helping me move to the edge of the hospital bed.

It wasn't long before I found myself being pushed down the long hallways that made up the hospital, chemical bleach filling my nose even stronger as we passed recently cleaned areas. I began to dig through the clear plastic bag full of the stuff that was brought in with me, like my bloody clothes, shoes, and my phone, which is what I was wanting at the moment.

My fingers finally wrapped around my phone, pulling it out to see no notifications on it and for the first time that day I really felt my heart sink to the bottom of my stomach. Closing the bag shut, I threw it in the garbage bin outside of the elevator we were waiting for. I didn't want those clothes and the memories that stayed with them, the pain they reeked of.

The hallways of the rehabilitation center were a soft beige color compared to those of the hospital and were covered in 'inspiring' photos that honestly made me want to punch something instead. We soon stopped outside of a room that had almost the same hospital bed that I was just in, instead this one didn't have the plastic rails on the side and the sheets were yellow. "Welcome to your new home Alex." Rachel said as she pushed me into the room further. "Okay so, breakfast is at seven then you will do some physical therapy, then lunch is at eleven, more therapy, dinner at six and then whether you have a bath that night you will be in bed by seven." She said this with a plastic smile on her face and it made me groan.

"Okay." I take my eyes away from her, looking out the window to the city below me, the busy streets bringing me a sense of calm.

"Good luck, Alex." Rachel said this as she left the room, leaving me to my own devices once again.

_Welcome home._

**Piper:**

Walking down the new beige hallways of the rehabilitation center brought a sense of calm and hope to me. Beautiful paintings lined the walls that made me think of the inspiring stories that must have come from here already, the people and the amazing things they have accomplished.

Walking up to the nurses station that was in the middle of all the rooms, I smile at the older woman sitting there. "I'm looking for Alex Vause, can you point me in her direction?"

"She should be finishing up with her physical therapy. Down that hallway and to the right is the gym." She said this as she pointed me in the direction of the hallway with a smile on her face.

Giving her my thanks, I walk down the hallway towards the gym where I can hear a woman talking. Looking in past the big glass doors, I see Alex between two bars, holding herself up and trying to walk. Pushing past the door, I approach the nurse in light pink scrubs and Alex.

"Alex, you have to move." The nurse says as she steps closer to Alex. "You need to take some steps for me, then we can be done." The nurse reaching out just slightly as if to help guide Alex forward.

I could see the sweat on Alex's forehead at using muscles that haven't been used in a week, muscles that she used to use everyday. Stepping forward, I look up into her green eyes. "Alex, please take a couple of steps?" This came out as more of a question than I wanted it to.

Alex's face showed realization almost as she finally saw me standing there. She nodded her head ever so slightly, looking down at the ground in front of her. Lifting her one leg she moved just slightly further but as soon as she went to put weight on the leg that was broken, she crumpled to the ground. "Fuck!" The word left her mouth in an anger I hadn't ever heard from her.

"Alex, you're okay." I said this, kneeling down in front of her. "It's going to be okay." I pushed a lock of her dark hair behind her ear so I could see her eyes.

"I will let you two be, she can be done for today." The nurse from earlier said, moving the wheelchair over to where they were positioned on the ground. "Here's this when you are ready, Alex."

The nurse left and silence fell in the room, a silence that weighed heavily on the situation, words unsaid and emotions pushed down. Shifting just the tiniest bit closer to Alex, I feel her pull away from me that caused me to question my movements. "Just go, Piper." Her voice was cold and distant, causing a shiver to run down my spine.

"No, Alex. Come on, it's okay, let's just get you up." I say this as I reach for her once again, her arm slipping through my grasp like a ghost.

"Please, just leave." She scooched on the ground away from me to create the smallest amount of space between us.

"Alex, what happened?" This was the only thing my mind could come up with, trying to figure out why all of a sudden she wanted to be away from me.

"What happened? What happened, Piper? What happened was I was shot, twice! I can't walk on my own, I can't sleep at night from the pain that is shooting in my leg, and I sure as hell can't protect you. And when I finally got used to you being here, to finally feel like somebody was here for me, you were nowhere to be seen!" Her words came out in what sounded like anger but felt like hurt. "I'm not forcing you to be here, Piper. So just leave." With that Alex moved to her knees, pain shooting across her face as weight had to be put on her bad leg.

"Alex-" I move to help her, only to be pushed back, her forearm pushing into my chest.

"I said I got it, Piper!" It felt like venom left her mouth, hitting me square in the chest.

I stood back as I watched Alex struggle to get up, at a snail's pace she finally got into the wheelchair that the nurse had brought over. Fire seemed to run through my veins at the burning feeling of not being able to reach out and touch her, to feel that skin against my fingertips. She slowly began rolling herself out of the gym, her muscles flexing in her upper arms, more sweat forming on her forehead. All I could do was stand there, my feet stuck there like they were encased in concrete.

I didn't want to admit what she meant to me, or at least I wasn't two days ago but last night something was different. When I woke up from laying in that recliner by her bedside, I wanted to be able to stay, to make sure she took every breath throughout the night, to make sure that she woke up in the morning. So when I woke up and saw those beautiful green eyes looking at me, I felt that feeling that is described in the movies, where something just clicks. I was scared to admit that something clicked, scared that if I let it happen it would be ripped away from me.

Closing my eyes, I feel tiny threads of my heart snapping apart as I heard her finally get past the glass doors out to the hallway. Finally letting the weight of everything fall onto my shoulders, I feel myself sink to the ground. Right there in the middle of the physical therapy gym, I squatted with my knees pulled into my chest as the tears finally fell over the edge. I could feel the warmth of the tears through my leggings and onto my knees, making me realize how the rest of my body felt so cold, so empty.

I don't know how long I was like that, but when I finally felt a warm arm wrap around my shoulders I knew I must've been there for a while. "Come on." I tried to look at the person holding me through my tears, but all I could make out was blurry wild hair.

Nichols picked me up off the floor and helped me down the hall, slipping her suit coat over my shoulders as we walked. The elevator ride down to the main lobby of the rehabilitation center was silent and filled with a saddened tension, but not between us. A tension that if anybody spoke, I am sure that I would explode into tears once again. When the doors opened my eyes stayed glued to the ground, watching as one foot stepped right in front of the other. _How I wish Alex could walk like this again_.

"Where to, Miss Chapman?" Jimmy's voice pulled me out of my thoughts, making me realize that I was already in the car. I look out of the window and up to the building where the brunette still is, my heart pulling apart that much more at the thought of her being on her own.

"Just take me home, Jimmy."


	12. Chapter 12

**Hey guys! So I know it has been a little bit of a wait and I am sorry for that, organic chemistry is already kicking my butt. So, here is an update and i hope you like it. It is not exactly what I pictured but I like it anyway and I am setting up for some things to come up. Also, I am working on an update for The Patriot, which is a story I love very much. I finally figured out how I want to finish off that story and now it is just finding the time to write it. Anyway, until next time :)**

**Chapter 12: **

**Yesterday at 10:00 a.m.**

"Yes Polly, schedule the meeting at four." I spoke into the cell phone that was pressed between my ear and shoulder. "No, I am already running behind. I am supposed to be at the hospital in twenty minutes." Grabbing my purse and slipping the last few papers from the island in my kitchen into it, trying to finish up the phone conversation.

Hearing a knock on the door, I grab my purse and throwing it over my shoulder so I can grab my coat. "Great, Pol. That's probably Jimmy upset that I am making him wait." The only sound in my apartment being the jingling of my bracelets as I secure my purse on my shoulder. Turning to Nichols, I wave for her to open the door to let Jimmy in.

"Ma'am?" Nichols' voice causing me to look over in the direction of the door, making me realize who was actually at the door.

"Polly, I have to go." Slipping the smooth phone from between my ear and shoulder, I place it in the front pocket of my dress pants.

"Ma'am?" Nichols' asked me once again, shaking me from my thoughts.

"Yes, let him in." I motion for Nichols to step aside so he could enter my apartment, his heels hitting hard on the wood flooring.

"Ah, Piper!" His arms stretched wide as he walked towards me, slipping his suit coat off. "It's really been too long." A sly smile covering his features in a way that made me want to cringe away.

"How can I help you, Marcus?" My voice steeled as I watch him get closer to me, setting his coat on the island counter. Watching him intently as I set my purse back down onto the counter, figuring this isn't going to be something that only takes a few minutes.

"I thought you would be happier to see me." Reaching for the buttons on his shirt, looking me up and down as if I was a main entree he was getting ready to eat.

"There has been a reason I haven't reached out, figured you would get the message." Taking a step back to put some space between us that he was making smaller each second.

Finally reaching the last button on his shirt, he tugged it off and dropped it onto the floor, looking at me with eyes that held undeniable lust in them. Looking behind his figure, Nichols made eye contact with me to assess the situation at hand. Shaking my head, she continues to stand by the door, watching our exchange. "Marcus-"

"Mark." His hands reaching to pull the white tank top over his torso.

"Mark," My eyes looking anywhere but him as I try to form words. "I'm not doing this anymore. It was fun while it lasted." A forced smile forming on my face, finally making eye contact with him for the first time.

"Usually when people have times like we've had, they don't just walk away from it." His hands resting heavily on my hips, his eyes searching my features for answers to unasked questions.

Marcus had been a weakness in a time of loneliness, a distraction from the demands of the day to day things. Those nights were nights that seemed like too much, like all the walls from every corner were closing in and the world seemed too small. It started just over two years ago when he was introduced to me at a meeting, our companies trying to begin a new venture. His blueish-gray eyes had caught my attention, long enough to get a drink with him a few days later and then an embarrassing morning after.

What once used to be muscles that had turned me on by just the smallest flex, made me want to turn away, look at anything else but him. His hands heavy and hard, not soft and gentle with a purpose. "Mark, we both knew this wasn't a thing that was going to last." His head already dipping down to kiss at my neck, my skin wanting to crawl away while my stomach jumped into my throat wanting to empty my breakfast.

His lips chapped and his facial hair rough against the side of my face. Pushing my palms against his bare chest, pushing him back until I could see the stunned look on his face. Eyes slightly wide at the realization I wasn't going to let him do whatever he wanted. "Piper Chapman, refusing sex with me? What happened?"

"I just don't want to do that anymore, Mark." Shrugging my shoulders at him to show my indifference.

"Piper, we used to go at it like bunnies. Now? I haven't even gotten a message in over two weeks." Grabbing his tank top from the floor while slipping it over his head. "I feel like my ego should be a little damaged."

"It's not you, Mark." I forced another smile in his direction, as I weaved my fingers through my hair, pushing it back. "I just don't want random hookups anymore."

"I would hardly call it random." A big smile cracking his face in half as he continued to button up his dress shirt.

"I'm twenty-eight, Mark. I'm ready for something else besides sex in random places." Walking towards the door as he follows me, I could feel the questioning look from Nichols on me.

Finally reaching the door, opening it for him to exit, he smiles at me and reaches down to kiss my cheek one last time. "If you ever need sex in a random place, you still have my number I hope."

"Goodbye, Mark." Giving him a smile as I closed the apartment door, leaning my forehead against it and taking deep breaths to calm my nerves.

Rolling my head to the side, still leaning against the door, my eyes meet Nichols' questioning ones. "Don't say anything."

A small smile broke out on Nichols' face at my comment, shaking her head. "I wasn't going to say anything, ma'am." She said this as she looked at my face, trying to read my expression without needing to ask. "However, Jimmy has been waiting for a good thirty minutes."

"Shit."

**Yesterday at 12:00 p.m.**

Scrolling through my phone, looking at emails that Polly had made sure to forward, the car was not moving from the traffic. As my eyes searched over each email, I could feel my nerves getting more on edge as the minutes on the dash kept flipping by. "Why is there so much fucking traffic?" My frustration getting the better of me.

"I'm not sure, Miss Chapman." Jimmy's voice slightly shaken at my random outburst from the backseat.

"I'm sorry, Jimmy. I'm just running late already." My hands fidgeting with the cell phone in my hands as I looked out the window at all the people walking by. Every day people who were going about their business, not having to worry about getting kidnapped or shot at. Well, okay there was always that possibility but it hung over my head every second.

"Ma'am, you can always call her room." Nichols' voice spoke from the passenger seat, making eye contact with me from the side mirror.

"I don't know the room they moved her to. I was supposed to be there when they moved her." My fingers once again playing with the cell phone, my eyes searching Nichols' face for reassurance.

"We won't be much longer, ma'am. It's just up here." Jimmy spoke as I rested my head against the cool glass of the back window.

_I was supposed to be there for her._

**Present Time**

"We were unable to link the shooter with any groups." The gruff voice of the officer said as he sat across from me at the conference room table. "It seems like an isolated incident, but with the two events happening so close together, we are worried for your safety." His brown eyes soft, like a father's gaze.

"What do you suggest?" My fingers playing with the papers in front of me on the table, the words melting together.

"You had the right idea with personal protection, but I suggest upping the amount for those around you and the building." His hand coming across the table to touch my arm, bringing me back to the room once again.

My mind hadn't been down on Earth since I left the rehabilitation center Alex was in. The words sitting on my chest like the weight of a boulder, the anger in her eyes flashing in my mind every time I blinked. '_I finally got used to you being here, to finally feel like somebody was here for me, you were nowhere to be seen!' _The words running through my mind at a million miles an hour, causing the nerves in my body to break down until I couldn't feel anything but guilt and pain.

I knew I had been late getting there, that I wasn't there when she was being moved but I didn't think it had meant that much. _What if it had been you? _That question brought forth every time I thought too hard about the words she spoke to me. I would be angry if she hadn't been there when she said she would have been, I would've been hurt to the point I didn't want to see her right away either.

"Ma'am?" The deep voice pulling me out of my thoughts once again.

"Yes, I'm sorry." Shuffling the papers in front of me, handing them to Polly who was sitting next to me at the conference table.

"It's okay, I understand it can be traumatic. I was saying that I suggest that you increase security in the building. Increase security in any building that you go to or when you are at public events, like press conferences. NYPD is always here to help protect at these events, you just have to let us know."

"Thank you, sir." Jotting down the number to reach him, I watch as Polly escorts him to the door of the conference room.

My eyes soon wander back to the windows that lined the conference room, the city below going a hundred miles an hour and never stopping. My world used to be that way. I used to never stop and think, just going from place to place, event to event. Then there was Alex and she makes me want to stop and see the world, see all the amazing and horrible things that make life as extraordinary as it is.

Standing from the conference room table, I make my way down the long hallway to my office, thoughts racing and the world in slow motion. Heels clicking against the tile of the floor, my mind focused on the path in front of me, not having the energy to think of anything else.

"Ma'am?" A small voice from my right side said. Looking, I see a small woman standing there, doe-eyed like she was fresh out of college and scared of the real world.

"Yes, Sam?"

"We have the first viewing of campaign videos this afternoon. I thought maybe you would want to see them." Her smile is shy and nervous, not sure how I was going to react to her.

"I'm really not in the mood today, but I would love if you could send them up to me when you get a chance, no rush." I can feel myself forcing a smile at her, trying to convey a normal facade when everything inside seemed to be falling apart.

"Ma'am?" She says once again as I turned around to begin walking away from her.

"Yes?" My face for sure not hiding my annoyance now.

"I just want you to know that… we all know it couldn't have been easy to go through what you did, but we are all here for you. We wouldn't be here if we didn't believe in you or what you stand for." She gives me another shy smile before turning on her heels and walking away from me as fast as she could like I would pounce on her for saying that.

Finally sitting down in my office, I feel the weight once again settle on my chest, heavy like a house. My head resting on the back of my chair, eyes staring at the ceiling, my body stiff as I let myself just feel the weight.

**Alex: **

"C'mon, Alex. Please, you have to take some steps for me." Stacy my physical therapist says to me, holding onto my arm.

We have been at this stand still for twenty minutes now, not moving forward from the spot I stood in. "Alex, you just did all those exercises lying down, now it is time to do them standing up." She takes a step forward as if I would follow her. "I know it hurts, but pain proves it's healing." A soft smile crossed her face as she looked at me from the corner of her eye.

"I can't." My voice whispered out, my head falling forward to hide what I am sure is shame written all over my face.

"I will catch you, okay?" Her eyes are soft as she says this, trying to convey the truth and meaning behind her words.

"Okay."

"Okay?"

"Yeah, okay." Blowing a piece of hair out of my face that had fallen out of my ponytail, I put all my weight on my good leg, lifting the bad one up. When it comes to putting weight on my bad leg, I feel pain shooting up my leg and into my chest.

"Breathe, Alex. Holding it in only makes it worse, trust me." Listening to her voice I let the air from my lungs go and put more weight onto my bad leg. Feeling it crumple, I slam the palm of my hand against the wall, anger ripping through me. "It's okay, I got you." She says as she catches me from falling. "Here, let's take a seat."

Sitting down in the wheelchair next to me, I feel the anger dissipate as soon as it appeared. "We will try again after lunch, okay?"

"No." My anger bubbling up once again, a dull pain still sitting in my chest from my leg.

"Alex-"

"You don't understand!" My anger getting the better of me. "I can't do anything! I used to run miles, I used to be able to stand for hours, I used to be able to do anything."

Her eyes travel over my face, trying to read any emotions she could, just listening to my words. Sighing, she leans forward and taps my good knee to get me to look at her before she speaks. "I played basketball. I was really good at it. I played varsity for five years, played college for four and my first day of practice for the women's team in Germany, I tore my ACL." Tapping her leg as she said this. "It was the dumbest thing that happened, nothing I hadn't done a million times before but that time it just… it just snapped. I was in surgery the next day and I never played again." A smile forming on her lips. "But then I met all these physical therapists and they all had their own stories. Their own tragedies and yet they were there helping me get over my own."

"I didn't-"

"You couldn't have known, Alex." Another smile crossing her face, but this one softer as if remembering a fond memory. "But I do understand. I thought I lost everything, but in reality I didn't. Now I get to help people every day and at night I get to go home to my wife." Patting my good knee as she stood up to walk out of the room. "The work is hard but it really is worth it. You want to be able to walk down the aisle or dance with her, Alex." She was pushing the glass doors of the physical therapy room open. "We will try again after lunch."


	13. Chapter 13

**Hey everybody! It didn't take as long to write this one which I am surprised about, but it isn't the best update I feel. Next chapter I have half written and its setting up something really good. Anyway, I will try to update again as soon as possible, but with school it gets harder every week to do so. I hope that you guys enjoy this chapter and thank you everybody for sticking with me through this. It is only getting started! (also watch for an update for The Patriot soon, it is in the works also!)**

**Alright all you amazing humans, enjoy ! :)**

**Chapter 13:**

The days have gotten longer as the exercises got harder. Every day Stacy took me into the gym, stretching my knee out in different directions that caused pain to shoot up my whole body and yet felt amazing at the same time. I took more steps every day, until I was able to walk the length of the room a couple of times without any support.

Every day passed and melded into one another as except for when one of the nurses would take me down to the cafeteria to eat. The nurses brought books in from the group room from down the hall that I refused to partake in, waiting for the day that I can walk out of here. Everything got brighter and darker every day that I gained back my strength, bringing me closer to the realization that I would be going home. My empty apartment where I am sure my clothes are still laying in different piles and all the leftover Chinese in my fridge had gone bad. Back home where I wasn't sure if I still had a job to pay for it.

"Who's ready for their last day of PT?" Stacy's light voice carried across my room, pulling me out of my thoughts, my eyes finally leaving the window in my room.

"Check down on Red with the bad back, four doors down." My voice coming out harsher than I intended it to.

"Alright, what's stuck up your ass today?" After the first real day of physical therapy when Stacy shared her story, she didn't let up on me. She talked to me in a semi-similar way that my commander did in training.

"Nothing's stuck up my ass." Standing up from the side of my bed, my knee tight from not being used over the last few hours during sleep. "Just ready to get going."

"These upset feelings can't be from your girl not coming by recently?" Every step still sent small shocks of uncomfortable tightness still in my knee. My limp still there from the tightness, but every step felt more freeing as my range of motion was coming back to me.

"She's my boss." My voice coming out cold as we reached the physical therapy gym, the air cool and air conditioned as it hit my face.

"Boss's don't sit by your bedside for a week…" Jumping onto the stretching table while Stacy grabbed the foam wedge from one of the cabinets lining the back wall. "Holding your hand… touching your hair…" Her cold hands wrapping around my bad knee to lift the foam piece under it. "You know, my wife does that kind of thing."

"Couldn't have heated your hands up before touching me?"

"You can deflect all you want, but you should face it." Her one hand on the bottom of my foot, the other holding onto the top of my thigh as she pushed my knee towards my chest, stretching me out.

"I didn't realize the P in PT stood for psychological." A laugh coming from my lips barely as tightness spread up and into my chest from my knee and hip.

"That P could stand for anything, really." A warm smile crossing her features as she turned my knee outwards from my hip. "What are you going to do when you leave here? Now that you are all cleared to go?"

Silence filled the air as my mind sat on the ideas of what could happen next. The air around me felt heavy as the realization of not knowing what was going to happen next. What was going to happen when I leave these disgusting walls of this place and go back out into the world. Would I be able to go back to work, or would I have to look for a job. "I don't know what I will do, probably fly to Cambodia and drink beer in a hammock."

"That sounds perfect to me." Her fingers finally warm to the touch as she pats my leg to signal for me to hop down. "Alright, today is the day, Vause." Pushing herself back on her rolling chair, towards the opposite corner of the room. "Up on the treadmill."

My eyes traveled from my knee to her eyes and back again, trying to convey how horrible of an idea that sounds. Tension already building back up in my joints at the thought of having to push my body any further. "We will start off nice and easy, then slowly ramp it up. You got this." Her hand waving me over, watching me intensely as I approach the large mechanical machine.

"If I die, I'm suing you." My heart beating in my chest, panic rising up and into my shoulders in a way that I am not used to feeling.

"I'm going to start it now." Her hand pushing a giant button on the front of the machine, keeping a close eye on my knee as I start walking.

The pace starts off slow, a walking pace that had just been recently established over the last few days. Before I know it, slowly the pace of the machine picks up, forcing me to start a light jog. The tightness in my knee pulling on every nerve in my leg as if trying to tell me to stop and never run like this again. It wasn't painful, just tight like when you train one day and the next morning you have to roll out of bed because nothing wants to move freely. The pace kept picking up until I was into a nice run, my stride growing longer and my lungs burning with a passion I haven't felt in forever.

And in that split second, the tightness and the pain of everything melted away. The weight that had been sitting on me for the last three weeks, being left behind in every step I took. My lungs begging for me to stop, the cool air from the gym egging on the burn they are feeling instead of cooling them down. "Great, Vause. One more minute and then you can be done." Her voice bringing me back down to Earth once again, popping my oddly serene bubble.

The minute ends sooner than I expected with both joy and disappointment flooding my bones. As the treadmill slows to a stop, the ache in my knee fades in but this time it's a good feeling like I have finally succeeded at something. Sweat pooling at the base on my spine, air finally filling my lungs again, and the air conditioning cooling down the heat of my skin. "Alright, I'm going to clear you. You are definitely not in shape, but you'll get there." A smile covering her features, a small laugh permeating the air. "Now, save all of our noses before you leave and go shower." I watch her as she leans over the counter lining the back wall, typing something into my file on the computer there.

"Remind me to write a note about how nice you are in my discharge papers." A smile of my own breaking out across my face, patting the sweat off my forehead with the bottom of my shirt. Walking towards the glass doors that lead out of the gym and back towards the hallway that my room is attached to, I turn and look at her again. "Thank you."

Rain had started pouring the second I got out of the bathroom and into my room, the sound of it pounding against the glass soothing me. The crispness of the shirt they gave me, itching on my shoulders as I pull my wet hair back into a ponytail. Everything that had come with me, minus my bloody clothes sits in a small clear bag provided by the rehabilitation center. The clothes they had given me to use during therapy, the few cards from the people I work with, and some notes for continuing my therapy filled that bag.

"Alright Alex, let's get you out of here and back into the real world." Rachel's voice speaking from the doorway of my room. I haven't seen her in a little over a week, not having time to check in on me with all her other patients.

"It's almost like leaving prison." A smile playing on my lips as I grabbed the bag off the bed, taking a long look around the room I had gotten so used to over the last two weeks. The tan walls, giving an empty yet warm vibe that had somehow comforted me on those nights nobody was here. The streaks of rain making the room seem brighter, happier than the feelings that had sat in this room for so long with me.

Turning away from the room that had been my home for what felt like a small eternity, walking towards the nurse leaning against the door frame. The silence that filled the air felt off, like there were words and questions unspoken between me and all the people who had gotten to know here. Stopping at the nurse's desk at the center of the entrance of the rehabilitation, eyes looking at me with small smiles on her faces.

"Well Alex, you are finally free from what you call 'this hell hole'". Stacy's voice spoke from behind the desk, handing me my discharge papers.

"Yeah, I am sure not going to miss all the sad faces and half-decent jello cups." Eyes rolled at me as they all turned back to whatever they were doing before I walked up.

A loud slamming sound came from behind me, making us all jump and turn towards the noise. Somebody had burst in, clutching their coat to them tightly as the rain seemed to have picked up and started blowing sideways. "I'm here, I made it!" I hadn't noticed the two people follow the figure in until blonde hair caught my attention. Her jacket was soaked through, watching her shiver from the cold air that was inside the building. "Hey." An awkward look covering her features as she tried to wring out her hair.

Looking from her to Nichols, I see her shrug trying to signal me that she isn't exactly sure what is going on either. Lifting my glasses from the bridge of my nose to the top of my head, shifting all of my weight from both legs onto my good leg. "What are you doing here, ma'am?" I could see the way she flinched slightly at the cold tone in voice and the use of the word 'ma'am'.

"I'm here to pick you up from rehab, I have made some arrangements for you." Her smile gone from her face, adjusting from the intensity of my stare. "So, if you will just get in the car…" Her arms signaling towards the large SUV sitting out on the curb.

"I'm fi-"

"Get in the car." Her voice tight and unwavering, showing the finality of her decision.

Adjust the clear bag in my hand, feeling the weight of it, I walk past her and out of the rehab building, refusing to look back at the faces that seem to have become somewhat comforting. The rain poured down heavy onto my shoulders, instantly drenching the shirt I was wearing as soon as I was out the door. As I hurriedly climbed into the car, the smell of vanilla that was perfectly Piper hit me in the face. The door behind me closing as I could hear the blonde climbing in behind me as I watched Nichols climb into the front passenger seat.

"Back home, Jimmy." Her voice was still holding a stern tone with coldness as she spoke to Jimmy from sitting beside me.

The rain poured onto the windshield of the car, the sound soothing my nerves as every foot passed us by. Pounding of the rain on the top of car as the quiet hum of the engine settled against my back, I could feel my eyes closing. It wasn't long before the surroundings became familiar once again, signaling to me that we were close to Piper's apartment.

When the car finally rolled to a stop, I watch as Piper got out and ran to the front door, looking back at me to follow. Opening the door and feeling the harsh wind and rain hit my face, I run towards the door to where Piper is standing, my knee throbbing only slightly. Her blue eyes meet mine and for just a second my heart stops and I feel my stomach sink at the effect she still has over me.

Before I could even blink, she had moved on from standing under the awning in front of her apartment building and into the building. Following her close behind, I could feel Nichols and Bennette right behind me after that. The ride in the elevator seemed to take forever as the tension in elevator built up around the four of us.

The air felt humid in the small space as the elevator stopped a floor before Piper's level, shaking me out of my haze. Watching her leave, her heels clicking on the hardwood flooring as she stood in front of a door waiting for me. Walking over to her, I watch closely as she enters this apartment we had never been to before, my heart beating outrageously in my chest.

"Alright, Vause." Her voice cold and stern, holding no emotion for me anymore. "This is your new apartment. I moved you in here while you were in rehab, so your things may not be where you want it, stuff like that." She spoke as she set a set of keys on the counter of the island in the kitchen, turning to look at me. "Settle in, get used to it, and I will see you at work in two days, you start on Thursday." A tight lip smile crossed her features as her eyes left me and looked around the apartment.

My mind reeled at the words that had filled that surprisingly big apartment space, the feeling of three sets of eyes burning into my body. "Yes, ma'am." I give her a slight nod, taking a look around the apartment that she had moved me into. _It is a lot nicer than my old one_. The brick on the interior walls that line the wall that went along the inside of the apartment hallway gave it an older feeling, but the floor to ceiling windows gave it a modern feeling.

Watching the rain hit the windows distracted me from the woman that still held my attention more than I wanted to admit. It was only then that the sound of the front door closing on my new apartment that I snapped out of my daze and realized I was once again alone.


	14. Chapter 14

**Hey everybody! I just want to start off by saying thank you to those who are still reading, it means a lot. I know it is hard when an author doesn't update or abandons a story, but I want to promise you that I am not abandoning any of my stories. Sometimes it takes me a while to think of where I want a story to go and that is what happened with this one. But now I have my ideas all sorted for where I want this to go. I am currently working on an update for The Patriot, which has been sitting around longer than this one, so I am working on that along with another update for A Different Kind of Love Story. Updates are still going to be slow because of college classes and everything else going on but I promise not to make you guys wait months for an update again. Alright, now that I have wasted enough of your time, please enjoy the story. Once again I have no idea how the justice system or political system works, so I am trying my best. With that said, enjoy the chapter, stay safe and stay healthy :) **

**Chapter 14:**

Holding the cold metal of my handgun in my hands, I close my eyes and feel the tension build between my shoulder blades. Letting a sigh pass my lips, I slip it into my thigh holster before grabbing the next one and sliding that into my hip holster. "You actually don't look like shit." Without turning my head, I already know it is Nichols by the sarcasm dripping from the voice.

"Looking and feeling are two different things." Stepping back from my locker, I turn towards her, my eyes finally meeting hers. Bags under her eyes telling me that she hasn't been sleeping as much as she used to, but a smile was there nonetheless.

Watching her closely, she walks over to me, patting me on the shoulder before sitting on the bench in front of the bay of lockers. "Boss's lil' bitch is looking for you." A smile crossed her face as she looked up at me from where she was sitting, unclipping her own holsters.

"Harper?" Fastening the buttons on my suit coat, I watch Nicky as she pulls her own coat off before setting it down on the bench next to her.

"That would be the one." I nod at her before mentally running over the list of things I needed for my shift before walking out. She stands and grabs her coat, placing it in her locker before turning back to me. "It's nice to see you, Vause." She didn't hold eye contact long, turning back to finish putting her things away.

Leaving the room, I walk down the long white hallway filled with paintings towards Polly's office. Scenes of nature and buildings line the walls, as if it helped make this place seem more pleasant. When I reach the door, I knock before entering, the first thing catching my attention was the large whiteboard in the background filled with notes. "Ma'am?"

"Vause, come in." She sat behind a large oak desk, pictures lining every corner and crevice to the point that she had almost no room for her actual work. Taking the three strides to where she was sitting in her office chair, I take a seat across from her.

When I look up after sitting myself down, I see her sliding a manila folder my way, her voice in a heavy tone. "Now that you are back, we have to update you on everything." Grabbing the folder from the top of the desk, I flip open the front cover to see pictures and reports of all kinds.

"What's this?" The curiosity in my voice breaking the silence in the room. Looking up, I see her shifting uncomfortably in her seat before beginning.

"Those are the police reports from the shooting…" Her eyes trying to read my reactions and emotions before continuing. "These are the new guidelines set in place, people to look out for, accounts of the shooting. Honestly that folder is a hodgepodge of information you have missed over the last month or so."

Flipping through the first few pages, the paper feels rough and harsh against my fingertips as I take in the new information. Looking closely at the pictures, there are some of men that look like they are from security cameras, pictures of the casings that littered the scene, and the one picture that stood out to me. Grabbing it gently, afraid to ruin it before I can look at it properly. The picture was of scene number six, blood pooled into two separate small areas but close enough that it could have come from the same person. I feel my breath hitch, the scars in my leg and shoulder burning suddenly.

Tossing the picture back in the folder before closing it, I look back up to see Polly watching me closely. When my eyes met hers, she looked away before proceeding to the next thing. "Due to sudden events, your shifts have been extended. They will go from seven in the morning to eleven at night. There will also be two guards along with you, they may not be in as close proximity but they are there for back up. New key cards have been issued for the building…" She slid over a new plastic card with my picture on it, the light shining off of it. "The cards now have different levels of security. You will have access to most places that Miss Chapman does, minus the important rooms that hold sensitive information." Nodding along, I feel my body stiffen as the words fill the room around us like a bubble. "Do you have any questions?"

"No, ma'am." Standing up from my chair, I nod in her direction before starting to make my way out of the room.

"You will find her in her office." Her voice rang out one last time, reminding me that I had a specific place to be.

"Ah, welcome back, Vause." Her voice rang out across her office, light and stern at the same time. Piper is sitting behind her desk, wearing a white long sleeve button down dress shirt with her hair falling down in soft curls around her face.

"Thank you, ma'am." Striding over to her desk, I walk to the side of it before taking my stance. My feet spread shoulder-width apart, my arms behind my back and my chin raised slightly. The tension in the room was high, thick enough that even a knife couldn't cut through it.

The silence in the room was filled with the clicking of the keys on her keyboard and the occasional sigh coming from her lips when something didn't go the way she wanted. When she would run her fingers through her hair, I got small wafts of vanilla, causing my mind to drift to specific times I had smelled it before. Letting my eyes drift away from the door, I finally look at her after what felt like an eternity of ignoring her. She leaned back slightly in her chair, elbows resting on the arms on the chair, shoulders pushed up lightly as if holding all the weight in the world there.

A soft knock rang out in the room, bringing my attention back to the door where I could see a young man standing. His hair was buzzed short on the sides and longer on the top but pushed back, his eyes were a light green and he was tall but lanky. "Miss Chapman?"

"Yes, Cooper?" She sat up slightly in her chair, my eyes glancing at her movement before moving back to assess him.

"I have that information on your campaign…" He lifted a black folder that was gripped tightly in his right hand, a smile curling lightly at the corner of his lips.

"Oh, yeah. Come in." Piper shifted in her chair, crossing her legs, bringing to my attention the light grey pencil skirt she was wearing. The soft legs showing had a direct line to the rate at which my heart was beating.

Cooper walked quickly across the large office, sitting directly across from the blonde. Opening the folder on his lap he started pulling out different stacks of paper. "So we heard back from the investors of the campaign…" He slid a decent sized packet across the table and towards her. "Most of them have decided to continue supporting the campaign but we lost a nice investor, so we are having to compensate for that now."

"Lost?" I could see the tension build between her shoulder blades at his words.

"The recent events that have uh - occurred deterred them from their continuing contributions." His light eyes flickered towards me, well my leg, before going back to the blonde. "We are still within our budget, but we will have to move a couple things around." A nervous smile covered his face as he reached back into the folder for the next stack of papers. "These are the propaganda ideas that we need you to sign off on. Posters, commercials, events, that kind of thing."

Piper sat quietly listening to the young man sitting in front of her, taking the papers he has been sliding to her. Grabbing the next stack and flipping through it quickly, my attention is brought back to the young man as he slid the last stack of papers across. "These are the security details and protocols you wanted for the campaign. They have been looked over and worked on, they also just need your approval." The blonde flinched slightly at his words, her hand slowly reaching for the papers before setting them at the top of the pile of the growing stack of papers.

"Thank you, Cooper." I could see a small smile on her face from the corner of my eye as she stood to shake his hand. "I will get in touch with you when these are all done."

"Thank you, ma'am." I could see his eyes scan her up and down before removing his hand from hers and exiting the room.

I watched closely as Piper raised her hands over her head slightly, stretching out her back after sitting for a while. A groan fell from her lips as she sunk back into her regular standing position. As she turned towards me, I realized that my eyes had traveled up and down her body, taking in the sight in front of me. A light pink color rose to her cheeks, her eyes looking away from me slightly before she adjusted herself again, bringing back that powerful confidence.

Her light blue eyes looked up at me from across the small distance between us, emotions running through them that were difficult to read. Watching as her lips moved to form words, my eyes looked over her face, searching for something. Something to express what she was trying to convey to me, something to break this unbearable tension that had been here all morning. Finally, a sigh just left her lips as she looked away from me and leaned her backside against the corner of the desk. "I'm sorry…" The words leaving my mouth without permission, my eyes still facing forward and not focused on her.

"For what, Vause?" I could feel her full attention on me, blue eyes staring into the side of my face. Taking a deep breath, I turn my gaze towards her, seeing the almost pleading look in her eyes.

"For everything, ma'am." Once the words fell from my mouth, I could visibly see her flinch, pulling back in on herself. Sadness filled the previous emotions I had seen in her eyes as she pushed herself up from the edge of her desk. Feeling the coldness start to roll off of her, I turn my attention back towards the door, not being able to look at the small pieces of the confident Piper Chapman I had just broken off.

Pushing open the door to my apartment, the weight of the day sinks into my bones like sand bags. My femur crying out for me to sit down and not get back up until it gives me permission to do so. Setting my work duffle bag on the ground next to the door, I take those few steps into the living area where the couch is. Stretching my arms above my head, feeling snaps run across my spine like rock candy. I toss the manila folder from earlier onto the black leather couch watching as the contents fell across it. "Seriously?"

Sighing, I turn away from it towards the kitchen. Flicking the light on, I open the fridge in a quick move before realizing that there is nothing in there but a beer and some fruit in the crisper. Pulling the bottom tray out, I grab an apple and then a beer off the top shelf before closing the door again. The kitchen almost matched Piper's upstairs, but a much smaller version of what she has. Making my way back into the living room, I feel the juice from the apple drip down my chin as I hold it by biting it in my mouth so I can also twist the top off my beer bottle.

Pushing over all the stuff that had fallen out of the folder and tossing the beer cap on the side table, I sit down and take another bite of my apple. I set my beer down on the side table before opening the manila folder again before picking up everything that had fallen out of it that was spread over the couch cushion. Some of the papers had crumpled from when I sat down on the couch, others bent from when I tossed them in my locker earlier. Grabbing the papers, I shuffle them nicely into the folder, my eyes briefly scanning them.

Mathews, Joseph Dean

Grabbing the last paper, the name catches my eye as I pull it closer into view. Looking closer, I see that it is a police report from right after the shooting.

Several shots fired on scene. Five injured, four civilians and one from a personal protection unit. Police tried to apprehend the shooter, but the suspect fired shots at authorities. Shooter was killed at the scene after refusing cooperation. Shooter was identified to be Joseph Dean Mathews. No link to previous events.

Grabbing my beer from the side table, I take a swig before setting it back down and opening the folder. Setting the police report next to me on the couch, I flip through the other papers in the folder, my eyes scanning over them all briefly. Pulling out a piece of paper I see that it is a witness account from the shooting.

Witness: Mary Borges

Witness said to have been near the shooter when the first shots were fired. Claimed shooter was a middle aged male, medium height with dark brown hair.

Setting the page down next to the other police report, I pull open the manila folder again, searching through all the papers. Towards the back of the folder, my fingers land on a slightly harder piece of paper than all the others. Grabbing it, my eyes scan over the page, taking in the information rapidly.

Autopsy Report

Name: Mathews, Joseph Dean

Age: 34

Sex: Male

Marks or Wounds: Two shots to the chest, one to the head. Past scarring on the legs. Four ring tattoo on wrist, slightly faded.

_Four ring tattoo? _Once again setting down this paper with the others on the couch next to me, I stand up from the couch and grab the papers along with the manila folder. _Four ring tattoo…. I've seen that somewhere before. _Moving down the hallway of my apartment to the unpacked office, I set the folder and loose papers on the cluttered desk that was surrounded by boxes. Flicking the desk lamp on, I separate the loose papers across the small open space on the desk, looking at them carefully.

_Four rings… _Setting down the autopsy report, I look around my unpacked office full of boxes and totes. When my eyes land on a brown desk tote, I walk over and grab it without moving anything so all totes and boxes around it fall without caution. Walking back over to the desk, I set the tote down before pulling the lid off and digging through it.

Files and paper are crammed inside, crinkling as I pull them out one by one, inspecting each one as I did so. Reaching towards the bottom of the tote, I grab a navy blue folder with a white label that reads 'CHAPMAN JOB'. I toss the folder onto the desk with the rest of the papers, moving the brown tote that I had just emptied to the floor.

Flipping open the front cover of the folder, I begin searching through the papers inside. Moving all the legal papers from my employment aside, my eyes land on another autopsy report that I must have obtained when I started my job.

Autopsy Report

Name:Cook, James Richard

Age: 23

Sex: Male

Marks or Wounds: Several gunshot wounds to the back and through the chest. Large scar across left shoulder blade, slightly faded. Four ring tattoo over the right pectoral, recently done.

Looking at the date of the autopsy report, I wrack my brain for information about the day written there. _What was that day?_ Pulling open the navy file again, I look at my employment papers. The first day when I started over two months ago was right after I left special forces. _Special forces… last call…_ I close my eyes, begging for it to come to me. Flashes of a raid running through my mind, breaking doors down and shots fired. _Chapman_.

Looking once again at the employment papers and the date on the autopsy report, I feel wheels finally click into place. One of the last calls before I left special forces was the call where Piper Chapman was rescued from a hostage situation. The man in the room presumed to be the captor was shot on scene. Turning to look at the wall next to my desk, I pull open the drawer on my desk and take out the jar of push pins. Pushing away all the boxes between me and the wall, I take the papers from the desk and pin the autopsy reports and police report from the shooting on the wall.

Stepping back from the wall, looking at the two single reports from the two incidents, I can feel my brain already going a hundred miles an hour. _They're connected_. Tapping my finger against my chin, I feel the walls quickly closing in on me, wanting - no demanding an answer from me. Turning back to my cluttered desk, I grab for the navy colored folder once again, searching for any information that I could have missed. _I need a report on the kidnapping_. Looking through the original folder, I feel my patience weaning even more as useless paper after useless paper was shown.

Tossing the folder back onto the desk, I grab my work phone out of my pocket, scrolling to find the one person I know would not spread this. Several dial tones rang out before the other end of the line connected. "You do realize the company phones are for emergencies and work related things, right?" Her deep voiced sarcasm rang in my ear, drawing my attention back to the task at hand.

"Yes Nichols, I do realize this." My heart is beating in my throat as my mind is still reeling at trying to connect the dots. "When you were hired were you given any information on Miss Chapman's kidnapping?" Suddenly I heard her voice whispering to somebody close to her before the sound of her walking reached my ears.

"What's this about, Vause?" All joking in her voice was aside, sternness filled the silence on the other end of the line.

"Was there a group affiliated with the kidnapping?" I push the glasses on my nose up to the top of my head, my eyes scanning the papers on the desk in front of me again.

"Vause, this is not-"

"Was there more than the one captor that was shot at the scene?" I could feel the sudden stiffness on her end of the line.

"Yes, but it's gone cold…" Hesitation filled her voice, weary of telling me what she knows. "What's this about, Vause?" This time curiosity and something similar to sympathy filled her voice. My eyes travel up to the wall that the freshly hanging pages were on, my body growing tight in every muscle.

"I need that report…"

"What report?" I could hear the wheels turning in her head without having to see her face. "The Chapman report?" Looking down at my watch, I see that it is already past midnight, realizing that Nichols would be on shift at the moment.

"I have to go." I pull the phone away from my ear, ending the call before she could get any more questions off.

Walking out to the entryway to my apartment, I grab my work duffle bag that was sitting on the floor next to the door. Throwing it over my shoulder as I open the door, my mind is already spinning like a merry-go-round, trying to connect the dots. The elevator ride to the lobby was like living a tiny lifetime, the floors ticking by like years until it finally hit my destination.

Moving to the back of the lobby towards the parking garage door, I pull my duffle bag closer to my side as I approach my car. Opening the trunk, I set my duffle bag inside before getting into the driver's seat. I turn the car over, shift it into gear and take off out of the parking garage to my apartment with the tires squealing slightly as I take too hard of a turn.

The drive to the police station was slow, not because of traffic or the distance but because any second without any answers seemed to last hours. The lights from the hundreds of buildings I pass shine into my car, streaking across my face. Silence filled the cab of the car, the only sounds were the purr of the engine and my slightly elevated breathing rate.

Pulling up to the side of the huge police station, I park my car and get out quickly. I walk around back to the trunk of my car, opening it to get into my duffle bag. Unzipping the bag, I grab my identification with my previous level of clearance hoping to get some answers along with my personal handgun. I slip the hand gun into my hip holster as I close the trunk, taking a deep breath before walking away.

The second I step into the police station, cold and circulated air hits my lungs. A smell of day old lunch and coffee filled the main lobby as I approached the front desk. "Ma'am, it's after one in the morning." The lady at the front desk spoke with a monotone voice, indifference playing on her features.

"I'm looking for somebody who can get me into the records office." I slide my identification card from my previous job across the counter towards the woman. Her deep brown eyes search me up and down, her eyes lingering on my hip for a second before picking up the card on the counter. Watching closely, I see her eyebrows knit together as her eyes scan the card in her grasp.

"One second…" She leaned over the desk behind the counter, pulling a phone to her ear. "Chris, there's a woman here wanting to get into records…" Her eyes turned to me again, looking at my work suit that I had yet to take off from earlier. "Special forces, sir." She nodded her head before hanging up the phone on the receiver. "He will be with you in just a few minutes."

"Thank you."I pushed a fake smile on my lips as I grabbed my identification card off the front counter, my eyes looking all around the room.

"How can I help you, ma'am?" A deep voice asks me from the other side of the room. A tall, middle aged man wearing gray dress slacks with a blue dress shirt approached me.

"I am looking for a police report about an incident from two months ago." I give him the best smile I can as sleep and adrenaline both begin to pump through my veins.

"And which incident would that be?" A small smile curled at the corner of his lips as he looked down at me just slightly.

"The Chapman kidnapping." I didn't need to say anymore, it was a well known case that had flooded the media instantly. He slowly crossed his arms over his chest, his eyes turning a colder shade as he looked me up and down.

"If I remember correctly, you gave us that case after the hostage situation was cleared." His voice was deep and solid, no sign of emotion as he looked me directly in the eyes.

"We did, sir. I was just hoping I could look at it to close a case my superior has assigned to me." I could see him trying to assess the bullshit I was trying to feed him. He shifted his weight from leg to leg, giving me a once over again.

"Ma'am, I'm sorry but that case is higher than what you or me are qualified for." He uncrossed his arms as he shrugged his shoulders. "I'm sorry you took time this early in the morning for nothing." A pushed fake smile crosses his features as his eyes meet mine again.

I look him over again, his eyes and stance screaming that he was not going to budge on this matter. Tucking my identification card into my back pocket, I hold my hand out towards him with a fake smile of my own. "Thank you, sir. For taking the time to discuss this with me." His hand is rough and strong against mine as I shook it with as much respect as I could muster. Pulling my hand away from his is when I see it. The black circular marks, plan as day on the inside of his wrist, no bigger than a quarter. If you weren't looking for it, you would've missed it.

Nodding my head at him, I turn around and make my way out the front door, the whole way I could feel his eyes boring into me. I don't wait until I get into my car before pulling out my phone from my pocket and dialling the one person I needed right now. Several rings passed before the line clicked and a gruff, sleep drunk voice spoke. "Vause, this better be fucking important." His voice hit me to my core, my nerves shaking at every word that left his lips.

"Sir, I need your help." I tried to hold all emotion out of my voice as I opened the driver's side door and sank into the seat.

"It is after one in the morning, Vause." _Why does everybody keep reminding me of this?_

"Please." It was a rare thing for me to ask for something in general, but when a slight pleading tone was added, it must have struck a chord.

"What is it, Alex?" I could hear him shifting around in the background, probably sitting up from his bed.

"I need the report from the Chapman kidnapping." A scoff filled the other end of the line at my request.

"You were there when it happened, Vause. Not to mention that the case has been passed off to the police." Shuffling sounds came from the other end of the line again, signaling to me that he was moving around.

"I wasn't there for the interview of the hostage, sir." I take a deep breath, gathering whatever nerve I have left in me after all of this. "It's important."

A loud sigh filled the other end of the line, drawing out the time from mere seconds to what felt like hours. "I'll see what I can do." And with that, the call ended.


End file.
